Masked Family
by Megazord Master
Summary: The third Love Live event is over and μ's is parting ways. However, when Kotori's cousin comes back, she will find out how close her family is to the urban legend of the Kamen Rider
1. Door of Dreams

AN: This is what happens when you binge-watch Love Live and Kamen Rider Black RX on the same night. This is also what happens when the plot idea practically overrides other chapter plans for Comes the Night and Tyrant. Also, this is what happens during really slow days at work but that's another story…enjoy.

Masked Family

Chapter One: Door of Dreams

Outside the Tokyo Dome, everything was still.

The third Love Live event had ended hours ago with the headlining act being the final performance of the School Idol Group from Otonokizaka Academy: μ's. Although they had made their decision to disband a year earlier, public expectation and excitement had allowed them to perform at the event as before they left the industry for good.

"Is the coast clear?"

Peeking around the corner, 18 year old now-former idol Honoka Kosaka nodded at her friends as they smiled at each other in relief. Although they were now a technically defunct unit, that didn't seem to have stopped the legion of fans they had somehow managed to pick up from all over the world. Indeed the mere mention of their names as headliners for the Love Live had drawn fans from all over the world to support them, though they were steadfast in their decision to end the group. After all, Sunny Day Song was now one of the highest ranking Idol songs worldwide and had finally managed to topple Futo's school idol unit on the charts for several months now. It was nice to finally have some time to relax and reflect on all that had happened in the past few months and think about the days ahead.

Maki Nishikino, Rin Hoshizora and Hanayo Koizumi would still be attending Otonokizaka Academy as third year students while helping the Idol Research Club to prosper and grow. Eli Ayase's sister, Arisa, and her own little sister, Yukiho, would be continuing in their duties as second year members and nurturing the first year students that had come in. Eli had a semi-steady job as a ballet instructor in the still-recovering Zawame City and was putting all of her years of hard work to good use, though her students regularly complained that she was being too harsh on them. Nozomi Tojo was always near and her fortune telling abilities had made her successful as a business consultant of sorts. According to Eli, she was receiving many propositions but had turned them all down. Nico Yazawa, after much soul-searching, had finally realised her passion wasn't being an idol but performing in front of an audience and had enrolled into a prestigious voice training academy in Zawame and was due to start in a few weeks.

Her childhood friends, Kotori Minami and Umi Sonada were staying in Otonokizaka for a few more months as they weighed their options. Kotori, in particular, was debating studying overseas as the fashion school had sent her another letter of offer. Australia wasn't as far away as America but it would mean she would be away from them for most of the year. Honoka grumbled under her breath at this as it wasn't fair that the school could just send her another offer, even though she had declined the first time. Of course, Kotori would say that she didn't formally decline the offer and had just postponed it until after she had graduated...which probably would account for the hasty phone call she had made after the concert in the auditorium. Thinking about it now made her smile softly. On the other hand, Umi would be training hard in archery for selections for the Japanese Archery Olympic team.

For a moment, the nine of them looked up at the starry sky and smiled in contentment. There were no more practices to attend, no more steps to memorise and no more songs that needed to be sung. Everything was peaceful and quiet.

"Kotori, you've grown up into a fine young woman."

The sudden voice startled them and made them all look around for the source, especially Kotori as she knew that voice from somewhere. As they calmed down somewhat, they could hear slowly approaching footsteps as the speaker stepped into the light. He was a solidly built man, about the same age as Honoka's father, wearing light clothes and a dark leather jacket that contrasted with his grey pants. Lines creased his face and his strange belt buckle reflected the external light off the twin red gems. Whoever this strange man was, he seemed to have a dangerous aura around him – like he was always ready to spring into action. His expression was grim but it slowly melted into a smile as he saw the girls; strangely, it was an expression that was reflected on Kotori's face.

"Kotaro!"

With a squeal of delight, Kotori ran into the welcoming arms of her cousin and grinned broadly as he enveloped her in a tight and warm hug. She hadn't seen him for her entire career as a School Idol as he was overseas working but he had sent her a few postcards from the places he had visited. She had always wondered how someone freelancing as a helicopter pilot could find work in places as remote as the middle of the Sahara Desert or deep within the Amazon Rainforest but her mother had always said there were people that needed to go somewhere. Interestingly, the locations also seemed to correlate with an incident in the area with wild reports that some sort of armoured attacker had been seen but this was mainly relayed by the drunks of the area. Releasing her cousin, she looked at him critically and smiled as she assured herself that nothing untoward had happened to him. Turning to her friends, she beamed happily and bounced on the spot in excitement.

"Guys, this is my cousin Kotaro Minami. He was overseas for the past few years but now he's returned. How long are you here for and have you told Mum about it?"

Kotaro Minami, also known to some as Kamen Rider Black RX, rubbed the back of his neck nervously. For the past three years, he had been ruthlessly hunting down the remnants of the Crisis Empire that were led by the dangerous Dictator Bloody. Their plots had spanned from poisoning the Amazon River to kidnapping the Egyptian Prime Minister and holding him in the Sahara Desert but he had always been there to stop them in their tracks, with help from time to time. Thanks to his relentless search, his forms had grown more powerful and had evolved extra attacks, which was rather helpful with his Robo Rider form. The last battle had been in the ruins of Yggdrasil Tower in Zawame City where he had received help from the Armoured Riders against a plot that would have covered the world in Hellheim's fruits once again. Interestingly, there weren't any held grudges from the so-called 'Battle Royale' that had happened around the revival of the Badan Empire.

He hadn't even intended to be in Tokyo today but one of his contacts had acquired information regarding what was shaping up to be one of their most dastardly plots yet – to kidnap members of his family and forcibly transform them into kaijin. Although his real parents had been killed by Gorgom when he had been born, his step-father Soichiro had given him a few phone numbers regarding his surviving family members. Recalling how nervous he had been when speaking to the then newly appointed Director Minami, he smiled again at his cousin and her friends. Casting an eye around the area, he hoped his call for assistance had gone through and that the proper figures were coming towards him. He certainly didn't want a repeat of what had happened in the seemingly abandoned theatre outside Sydney.

"Yes, Kotori, I have told your mother about me being in town. She sent me to pick all of you up, though it may be a bit of a tight squeeze with all nine of you and your costume changes."

Honoka smiled lightly, relaxing as she realised that Kotori had often talked about her cousin in the past. Of course, she hadn't properly been listening most of the time but recalled her telling them that he was always overseas for business. A small part of her mind also wondered why their names were so similar but she supposed it didn't matter. Amazement soon turned to puzzlement as she wondered, rather predictably aloud, how he knew they would be performing at the Love Live if he had been overseas. Catching everyone face-faulting at her question, she looked around and shrugged innocently. After all, it made sense that Kotori's cousin wouldn't have known they were performing in the Dome as he had been overseas but…he had just said that he had spoken with her mother so…and her brain was finally catching up with the rather air-headed thing she had just said.

"Don't be so hard on them, Kotaro. You'll manage somehow."

Turning at the new voice, Kotori's eyes widened as she saw a man who she had only seen in photos – Takeshi Hongo, an amazingly smart man who had been in the same class as her grandfather but had been forced to drop out after spending a weekend away. She didn't know much about him except what she had been told, though she had heard a strange rumour that he had been seen near the site of one of the rumoured underground 'Badan' attacks that had been in the news a while ago. Kotaro walked up to greet his senior and began discussing things with him as everyone else crowded around her, asking her questions about them. Rin was the most insistent, the energetic and feisty third year student wanting to know more about the two and what adventures her cousin had had. Not even when she had been torn between going overseas to study fashion had she been under so much pressure and she closed her eyes as her composure began to crack. Fortunately, any explanations on her end were quelled by another voice that boomed out through the air.

"Minami Kotaro, this is where you meet your end."

Thunder rumbled overhead as a massive lightning bolt smashed into the ground metres away from where they stood. Terrified, the girls huddled together and shrieked in fear as Kotaro and Hongo stood in readiness. The energy coalesced into a slim man wearing what appeared to be a blood-splattered lab coat and a pith helmet. Around his waist was a decaying leather belt which held a simple, two-pronged dagger and a single-shot pistol, the belt buckle displaying some strange sort of symbol that almost looked like the eagle of Shocker; the evil organisation that had operated from the shadows. Kotaro glanced at Hongo, knowing his identity would soon be revealed to his cousin – something he had been avoiding for quite some time. Kotori was too young, still too innocent, to be introduced into the darkness in him and the evil he had been battling overseas and her friends would be caught up in the destruction.

On the other hand, if he didn't reveal his identity, the media would be up in arms of the brutal deaths of Japan's idols…and the Crisis Empire would easily pin the blame on him. Years of work would be gone in an instant and he would be forced to spend the rest of his life on the run. No, as much as he hated to do it, revealing his identity was the only way for Kotori and her friends to survive. He only hoped, though the hope was fading fast, that the other Riders he had contacted would soon be arriving. He knew how strong the man in front of him was and what he was capable of. Hongo was good backup but his cyborg body was starting to weaken against the constant wear and tear. Privately, Kotaro hoped that when the time did come for an upgrade, Hongo wouldn't bulk up his body with more layers of armour.

"Who…who are you?"

The figure sneered at Eli and withdrew his dagger, twirling it around in the air in front of him. Strange humanoids dropped from the sky, as if called by some unheard command. They were dressed in uniform grey jumpsuits and were wearing what looked like hocky masks to conceal their faces. Silently, they spread out to encircle them – trapping the girls and the two men.

"I am the Ultimate Commander of the Crisis Empire! I am Dictator Bloody! RX, you will meet your doom here! There is no escape!"

Kotaro growled as the hairs on the back of his neck stood up – a sure sign that an energy barrier had been deployed. He had been caught in one of these traps before and knew what to look for to disable it. Unfortunately, the means to do so would be outside the barrier and what it looked like was only known to him and a few other Riders. He shifted his stance slightly, opening his jacket at his waist to reveal the Sunriser Belt and the twin King Stones that were set on it. Fighting at night would mean he couldn't use his Robo Rider form effectively but, fingers crossed, he would make do with his normal form and Bio Rider. He tensed up as he felt someone grab onto him but relaxed when Kotori's scared voice rang in his ears.

"Kotaro, what is going on? Who or what is RX?"

Shaking his head, he pulled his clothes free from Kotori and looked at her. She was so small, so fragile in her training clothes, eyes shimmering with unshed tears. All of them were the same, delicate flowers that had to be protected at any cost. Closing his eyes, he thought back to the end of the so-called 'Showa vs Heisei Rider Battle' and how Kouta Kazuraba, Kamen Rider Gaim, had shielded a single flower from what would have been a devastating attack. His determination then to protect all forms of life had been crucial in getting through to Hongo that the newer Riders knew what they were doing in protecting emotions first. Avoiding looking at the hurt and confusion in her eyes, he looked at her friends once more and noticed, with pride, how close they seemed to each other. That strength would serve them well in the future and would guard their minds against the revelation to come. Looking at Hongo once more, he nodded slowly.

"Kotori…I will explain later, I promise. Hongo, we don't have time."

Hongo nodded once and stepped back to allow his junior to take the lead. He had received a call from the daughter of an old friend out of the blue, asking him to help with movement of her daughter and her friends from the Love Live event in Tokyo Dome. Although he wasn't really one for the newer styles of music and the trend of school idols, he had watched a part of the concert and, much to his enjoyment, had found their performance stirring something inside him. Willing his Typhoon belt out of his torso, he stood side-by-side with Kotaro as he started the transformation process.

"Henshin!"

Kotori's eyes widened as brilliant glows enveloped the two men, temporarily shutting off the spotlights around them. Shielding her eyes against the intense light, she could just make out what appeared to be heavily stylised armour sliding over their bodies, encasing them in strange suits. Blinking the afterimages from her eyes as the lights illuminated the area once more; she heard the surprised and shocked gasps of her friends as they took in the sight in front of them – the widespread urban legend of the Kamen Riders made real in an instant. The figure on the left – Hongo, she thought – was dressed in a black bodysuit with silver gloves, boots and a red belt with twin stripes running down his sides. His torso was covered in stylised armour that was similar to the thorax of a grasshopper and his helmet was modelled after the insect. Kotaro, on the other hand, was clad in a more streamlined uniform in shades of green and black. His helmet was modelled after a grasshopper as well, though with larger eyes and a smoother mouth-plate. There seemed to be a solar panel on his chest, above his twin stone belt buckle.

Though his armour seemed to be slightly less flashy, Kotori could see the power that was surging beneath the plates as steam escaped from the cracks. Her mind was in turmoil and she didn't know what to think. Her cousin and an old family friend had just changed into, if the urban legend was to be believed, superheroes. She had seen a few recordings of the Beat Riders in Zawame City and Eli and Nozomi had told her of them but she never thought this would happen. Shaking her head to clear the lightness in her mind, she wondered what other surprises the night would throw at her…before realising she really didn't want to know the answer to that.

"I am the Child of the Sun!"

Kotaro ground his teeth together as he held his pose, knowing Kotori's image of him was crumbling away. He didn't know what she knew about the Kamen Riders, if she admired them as the heroes they were represented as in the urban legends or if she hated the destruction they seemed to cause wherever they went. However, now was not the time to be thinking of such distressing things and he banished them to the back of his mind. Gorgom had ensured he would never have a normal life and the Crisis Empire had ensured he would never find lasting peace but that was soon to change. Dictator Bloody was in front of him and he didn't want him to slip through his fingers at the last second. Tonight was the night where everything would finally end and, for a moment at least, he would find peace.

"Kamen Rider Black RX!"

TBC…


	2. Riders United

AN: Sentences in italics are English

Chapter Two: Riders United

Kotori didn't know what to think.

For what seemed like ten minutes, she had stood in shock as the two Kamen Riders cut through anything in their path. The rest of her friends didn't seem to be coping much better, though Eli, Nozomi and Maki were trying the hardest to move everyone back behind one of the pillars. Flashes of light and fire punctuated each punch and kick, reflected in the tears of fear and confusion that ran down her face. Of course, she had heard the legend of the Kamen Riders and their sacrifices in protecting civilians from the evils of the world but to think she was closer to them that she had realised…squeezing her eyes shut in terror, she could only hope that this was just all a fever dream brought on by nerves for the third Love Live. However, that would mean that the performance on stage in front of thousands of μ's fans was also nothing more than a figment of her imagination and since they had all performed so well, that was something she just couldn't bear.

No, as much as she feared it, she had to face the facts that were in front of her. Kotaro was one of the Kamen Riders and, from the looks of it; he had been one for a long time. He hadn't tried to take the weapons of the humanoids facing him once and had easily disarmed and destroyed most of them with only a few hits. Of course, that wasn't accounting for the fact that those humanoid fighters just kept dropping down from the sky in waves. One or two had come close to the group but had been knocked back via Umi and Nozomi. The purple haired girl had picked up quite a bit of martial arts knowledge since living in Zawame but she had also, according to Eli, started to get more curious about the incident that had been covered up by Yggdrasil; something about plants almost covering the world or something. Whatever it was, it had been on their first overnight training mission and their pillow fight had blocked out the noise of missile detonations. A shudder ran down her back as she thought of the destruction that must have been caused. Had Kotaro been there in the middle of the battle…and which side had he been on?

"Kotori, you mustn't think of your cousin as a monster. We're all shocked about this about as much as you are but you do realise the Riders are humanity's hope, right?"

Opening her eyes, she found herself looking into Nozomi's warm gaze. Managing a slow nod, she forced herself to look up at the battle again with fresh eyes. She was utterly amazed at what she could see; Hongo fighting the forces at the front and sides with more power and force than she had thought he could muster for someone almost into his seventies. He was leaping into the air to deliver devastating punches and kicks, making whole groups of monsters explode with what seemed like just a touch. Some of his movements were slow in places but he showed blazingly fast speed in dispatching three creatures that were sneaking up on her cousin. As for Kotaro, he was busy dealing with those that slipped past Hongo's fists and feet, destroying them effortlessly before they could reach the huddled group. However, as Umi and Nozomi could attest to, some of them were just too fast for him. Two Riders facing insurmountable odds would easily rip through the forces but if they were preoccupied with defending them…Kotori's eyes widened as she realised they were the overall target.

"RX, you left them wide open!"

Cackling loudly as he leapt over the heads of the Riders, Dictator Bloody landed in front of the cowering girls and raised his dagger. Two Riders wouldn't be able to stand in the way of his plans, especially one the blood of the girl had fed one of the creatures waiting in the wings. He had been nurturing the others after stumbling upon them in the long abandoned ruins of Gorgom's base, though the one that needed the blood had only emerged a short while ago. From the energy he could taste in the air, he knew the barrier keeping other Riders out was still up – though it had a slightly different taste than what he knew. It was no great matter though and whatever music industry he allowed to exist under his rule would survive the loss of μ's…if his brain would allow Sunny Day Song to exit. His enhanced hearing picked up the sound of running footsteps coming their way but he paid in no mind. The disguise he had specifically chosen for the shield transmitter would ensure that no one would know on its existence until it was too late. Admittedly, he had stayed up rather late the past several nights wondering how to get the signal to penetrate the concrete.

"Eli, watch out"

Eli's eyes widened in fear as the deranged man slashed his dagger at her, barely missing her arm as she fell back. Nozomi grabbed under her arms and dragged her back from the fevered slashes of the madman as the others picked up whatever loose debris they could in an attempt to fight back. Feeling a whistle of air near her left ear, she lifted a shaking hand to it and felt a warm liquid running down the side of her face. Collapsing in horror, she stared at the monster as his dagger reached its final apex and she knew it would be the end for her. Surprisingly, she didn't feel any fear at all – only slight regret that she hadn't fully confessed her feelings for Nozomi. Oh well, they would be together soon enough and…

"Henshin!"

The second shout echoed through the air as a figure somersaulted over the heads of the group to land a powerful kick to Dictator Bloody's chest. Still enveloped in its transformation energy, it struck a pose as Dictator Bloody rubbed his eyes in shock, unable to comprehend what was in front of him. Hongo and Kotaro stopped fighting to look at the newcomer, amazement evident in their body language. A slight breeze picked up, blowing a red scarf through the air as the energy finally died down so Eli could look at her saviour. Aesthetically, it looked at lot like Hongo's uniform but with differences such as a slightly darker helmet, red boots and gloves and a single stripe down its sides. He was Hayato Ichimonji, also known as Kamen Rider Nigo and the second half of the Double Riders. He had been summoned here by Kotaro's request but had arrived too early and had managed to catch all of the third Love Live, capturing the smiling faces of the performers and crowd.

"How…how is there another Rider here? The barrier should have…"

Ichimonji shook his head at his words. There had been no barrier or transmitter anywhere, just a cracked slab of concrete and a slightly dazed tourist wandering around. He had noticed a faint aura of power coming from him but had managed to point him in the right direction, though he was still wondering why he kept muttering about being in the wrong place. He supposed he could look for him after the fight to see if he had vacated the area but right now, he had a plot to put to an end.

"There was no barrier and your time is over, Dictator Bloody!"

Dictator Bloody shook his head in denial. His plan was slipping through his fingers and there was nothing he could do to salvage it…except, maybe they could turn the tide for him. Reaching out with a telepathic touch, he deftly slid open the lock on the hidden cage and waited to see his creatures emerge into the light. Interestingly, the mirrored beast that had been the last to emerge slunk out first. As he travelled internationally on a semi-regular basis, he was required to understand other languages. English was his strongest language after Japanese but he couldn't really understand the ramblings of the creature that had been birthed from the reflective surface. Apparently it was the last of its kind and had been trapped in Japan for quite a long time, absorbing the powers of the Mirror Monsters that had popped up several years ago for a brief period.

"What? What is that?"

Nico blinked in amazement as the creature emerged into the light. Although it had an overall resemblance to a humanoid spider, it was covered in some sort of silvery sheen – almost like a mirror. Its claws glistened wetly in the light and she could only imagine how potent the venom that dripped from its four fangs was. Taking a step back, she turned at Hanayo's squeal of fear and felt her heart leap into her throat as several similar looking creatures emerged from various nooks and crannies around them; some squeezing out from impossibly tiny gaps. Paused in the middle of holding a Chap in a chokehold, Kotaro's blood ran cold.

"Spider Mutants…but I destroyed all of Gorgom with the Creation King!"

Dictator Bloody laughed as he rubbed his chest, willing the last remnants of pain and shock to fade. He would never tell RX where he had found them and they would surely spell doom for his family. Ichimonji clenched his teeth together and hoped that he could drive them all away before they injured or killed some or all of them. Leaping up, he pushed power to his right fist and slammed it against the mirrored creature. To his concern, it didn't explode the way most creatures did when they were hit with his Rider Punch but slowly turned towards him as if sizing him up.

 _"You are not who I would battle normally but you will do for now"_

Blinking at the English coming from its maw, Ichimonji almost couldn't defend himself from the assault of blisteringly fast slashes, kicks and web blasts that the monster threw at him. Falling hard onto the ground, he looked up at the monster to face his own death with dignity when it was blown away by five blasts of energy. The battle paused for a second time as the five figures that had fired on the seemingly indestructible monster came into the light, eliciting a shared gasp of recognition from the three girls who worked in Zawame City. That figure was clad in a white bodysuit with almost Samurai-esque markings on the lower arms and legs. Protecting its upper chest was a set of armour that almost looked as though it had been created from the skin of a muskmelon and its helmet was shaped like a samurai's. Around its waist was a black belt with a strange cutting board device on it and something that looked like a sliced open melon. In its outstretched hand was a weapon that seemed to be a cross between a gun and a sword with a yellow set of lights that seemed to indicate its remaining ammunition. The figure shot the weapon again, sending energy blasts whizzing through the air to impact against the creature once more.

The second figure seemed to be, for all intents and purposes, a chimera of sorts with a red birdlike head, green insect-like legs and yellow arms that ended in tiger claws. On its chest was a symbol that combined all three animals and a strange coin-holder-like buckle and there was a strange sword in its hands, though it seemed to contain a coin slot and a dispensing lever. Next to it, another figure stood in somewhat simplistic blue, white and red armour patterned after a dragonfly, holding a robotic dragonfly-like weapon. Honoka's eyes widened as she barely made out the words on its buckle – they were of the company ZECT that had tried to buy the family store a few years ago. Of course, they had failed and, soon after, the company had collapsed. To think that the company had Kamen Riders that had been working for it was almost unthinkable but, she supposed, you could easily get anything with money.

On the other side of the white warrior was a figure that looked similar to the Unidentified Life Form 4 that had been seen more than a decade ago; though its armour looked much more elaborate and stylised. Its helmet seemed to be patterned in the likeness of a Chinese Dragon and there was a strange yellow oval around its waist. The last figure wore gold-trimmed blue and grey armour that seemed to be organic in places, pulsing weakly like it was alive. A medium sized design of the Ace of Spades was on its chest and its buckle was shaped after a deck of cards. On its left hip hung a holster that contained a medium-sized sword that was decorated with the motifs of the suit of Spades and its helmet was modelled after a Rhinoceros Beetle. Kotaro breathed a sigh of relief, while Dictator Bloody let out a scream of unholy rage at the sight.

The Kamen Riders had arrived.

TBC…

AN: Next chapter involves a lot of exposition and, perhaps, the arrival of someone who doesn't belong in this world…


	3. No Brand Girls

Chapter Three: No Brand Girls

Never in her wildest dreams could she have imagined this.

Still half-dragging Eli's stunned and limp form away from the battlefield, Nozomi watched the eight Riders fight. It was almost like practiced choreography; the way they ducked and twirled in the light and away from the deadly attacks of the enemy was literally magic. And, yet, she could see the bonds of familiarity between them – bonds that had probably been forged by shared experiences and sorrow. She saw the dragonfly themed Rider smack the left side of his belt and vanish in a blur of motion, sending the humanoid monsters flying. A glance to her left showed an impossible sight of cards flying from the blade of the blue beetle Rider, seemingly giving him the ability to execute a lightning blast from his weapon. Even behind them, the dragon themed Rider with the golden crest of horns twisted the left side of his belt, his form shimmering and changing to a gold and blue form with a strange staff-like halberd as a weapon.

"Who are they?"

Rin shook her head slowly as she registered Hanayo clinging tightly to her. Of course, everyone in the Tokyo area had heard the urban legend of the Kamen Rider, a warrior that fought for the protection of peace and sanity against unnamed evils but she had dismissed it as that – something with no basis in reality. Compared with the athletic achievements of Ryo Ashihara and the incredible cooking skills of Souji Tendou, Kamen Riders seemed almost too mystical. That didn't mean she hadn't researched all of the information about them she could. All of their battles were known by her as well as the foes they fought against from the first Kamen Rider until the newest one that had just popped up a few weeks ago. Only Hanayo knew of her secret hobby and she encouraged it, though she had been a bit hesitant at first. To think that Kotori had links to Black RX and the original Kamen Rider was incredible but she knew that, until a few moments ago, the girl hadn't known of it.

"The Kamen Riders; warriors granted unimaginable power to fight against the forces of darkness that threaten the world."

The words fell from her mouth without her realising them. Rin crept as close as she dared to see the battle – RX delivering deadly kicks and chops to the Chaps around him, OOO switching out the tiger claws on his arms for something that looked like praying mantis blades and the Armoured Rider Zangetsu, from Zawame City, carving up those around him. Kamen Rider Drake had exited his Clock Up mode and was blasting away with the Drake Zecter, clearing a path for the girls to run to shelter if they wanted to…and Rin wanted to run away. She wanted so desperately to run away from this nightmare and wake up on the day of the third Love Live, ready to perform one last time. She felt Honoka's hands on her shoulders, dragging her away in a similar fashion as Nozomi was doing with Eli. In a small corner of her mind, she hoped this event would be the final catalyst that would allow the purple-haired girl to confess her rather obvious attraction to her friend. However, the bigger part of her mind was hoping that this wouldn't send her emotions over the edge.

Ever since they had set the date for the third Love Live as their final concert, Nozomi had been acting slightly strange. She had been staring at them with a strange expression of wistfulness on her face; very reminiscent of when they had been composing Snow Halation together and on the day of their graduation. For the sake of everyone around her, Rin hoped she didn't do something crazy stupid as, in her own words; the nine of them together was a miracle coming true. She had to know that, no matter what, they would always be close friends – no matter how far they were from each other. Plus, it wasn't as though one of them was going to go to space or anything; they would still be on Earth and within reach. She hoped her friend understood that though. Blinking in surprise as the blue and red form of Kamen Rider Drake appeared in front of her, her mouth dropped open as she heard a strangely familiar voice coming from him.

"Uh, is there a Kotori Minami somewhere here? I'm sorry; I'm not one for faces…which is a tad ironic."

Kotori blinked slowly as her mind caught up with her ears. She recalled the name of the Australian school that had sent her the Letter of Offer in her second year and the name of the business founder she had spoken to in haste after the concert: Daisuke Kazama. He had been known as one of the greatest make-up artists in the world a few years ago before dropping off the face of the planet for a few months during the Worm incident. After the dust had settled, he had reappeared and opened up a small fashion and design school that expanded overseas with glowing praises from everyone in the industry. Slowly raising up her right hand, she nodded at the Rider. Pulling on a lever protruding out from the tail of his Zecter, the Rider armour dissolved off him to reveal the man underneath. Dressed in his signature brown vest with a dark collared shirt, light grey pants and his black beret, he looked like a normal person and not someone who had been, only moments ago, blasting away humanoid creatures.

Daisuke looked at the girl, noting the similarities between her and Kotaro. Both had a serene quality in their mannerisms but held fierce fire in their eyes. He recalled the hurried conversation he had held with the girl a few years ago and his agreement that her acceptance to his school would only come into effect after she had finished her school idol duties. At the time, her name hadn't meant anything to him but now, knowing she was the cousin of the famed Kotaro Minami, well, that changed things considerably. With Yuriko managing the Australian campuses as best as she could, an opportunity had come up for him to open up a smaller school back in Tokyo. At first, he had been hesitant as the memories of Rena's destruction had haunted him for a long while. However, he had recently had a long talk with Tendou and had come to the decision that it should be done for the sake of the future. Well, something along those lines anyway. Additionally, he could easily see the bonds of strength and friendship these girls had with each other; a sight that warmed his heart considerably.

"I am pleased to inform you that you will not have to travel overseas in a few weeks. The School of Makeup, Fashion and Design is expanding yet again and I am looking for locations to open in the Tokyo area; perhaps even in the same spot as the original school was."

Kotori blinked in surprise as an explosion blossomed behind them. If he was opening up a branch in Tokyo, she wouldn't have to leave her family and friends. She would be staying in Japan and wouldn't have to learn an advanced level of English before starting the course. On the other hand, her IELTS Test Results had come back a few days ago and had granted her the overall band score of 6.5; a very envious score indeed. However, her mother had advised her to do a few weeks of English anyway as a precautionary measure. Relief and elation spread through her as her legs gave way due to the stresses of performing and seeing her cousin again. Honoka and Umi caught her before she could hit the pavement and began chattering excitedly at her, expressing great relief that she wouldn't have to leave. Daisuke looked at them and smiled, before looking over to the battle with a grim look on his face – a look Nozomi didn't miss.

She was extremely grateful and happy that Kotori wasn't leaving for Australia but she was still melancholic as fate would soon conspire to pull them apart once more. Her card reading this morning had been extremely specific: there would be two endings today, an arrival and a sudden departure. The arrival was heralded by the return of Kotori's cousin and one of the endings had been the dissolving of μ's. She didn't know what the other ending was to be but, with the appearance of the strange mirrored spider monster, she had a sinking suspicion she knew what it was. The only way she knew to prolong their lives was to sacrifice hers; a rather selfish decision but one borne from love. Closing her eyes, she muttered a prayer of guidance under her breath and slowly set Eli down behind the elated Kotori. As if mirroring her internal anguish, a light peal of thunder rumbled overhead and, soon after, rain began to fall. Her clothing would be ruined beyond repair but…well, it would be ruined anyway. Eli, finally recovering from the shock of her experience, caught her right arm and looked confused.

"Nozomi? What are you…?"

Any more words were silenced as Nozomi leaned in to place a tender kiss on her lips. Eli's heart raced as she leaned into the feeling and warmth she had only dreamt about. The others watched on, slightly embarrassed by the display of affection – though Daisuke held a faint smile on his lips. Pulling the blonde closer to her, Nozomi intensified the kiss, slipping her tongue into Eli's mouth and hearing her softly moan in delight. Reluctantly breaking off the kiss, she looked at Eli and tried to commit her face to memory, though it really should have been the other way around. Stepping away from her, she looked at the continuing battle and sighed.

"I'm sorry, Eli. I can't keep my feelings bottled up any more. I'm in love with you so much and I don't want us to be apart. But the cards have said today will be an ending today in more ways than one. μ's is no more and we'll be pulled apart again. This miracle is one that can't be allowed to end. This feeling…I want to cherish it the only way I know how."

Not wanting to look at their hurt faces, she knelt down in front of Eli once more and gave her another kiss, this time on the forehead. She looked at the others and tried to put on a brave front, though she was certain she was crying her eyes out. Daisuke was torn between stopping her foolish endeavour and allowing it to continue to whatever end she had planned – though he would stop her if he had to. And if he couldn't, well, Tendou had travelled through time once before using his Clock Up System or he could run down to the Milk Dipper and ask that unlucky kid he had seen there for assistance. He also hoped the rain wouldn't get any heavier as the majority of his luggage was still out in the open; albeit, being shielded by some foreign tourist. Swallowing hard, Nozomi took a step towards the battlefield, before looking back to speak to Eli once more.

 _"I love you so much, Eli. Always remember that."_

Eli's brow furrowed at the English words as she finally realised what her friend was about to do. To sacrifice her life for her friends would take an incredible amount of bravery. It would also take an incredible amount of stupidity as the other Riders could easily cover their retreat from the venue without any blood spilled. Shaking her head in denial, she was aware of the others in various states of shock and alarm as their minds processed what was about the happen. Honoka, in particular, looked like she was about to explode or burst into tears. As her friend stepped away from them, she yelled out in horror, not wanting her final memory of her to be being ripped to shreds. Rising to her feet, she scrambled towards her but slipped on the wet ground, unceremoniously crashing into Maki and Nico.

"Nozomi…no, what are you…"

The next few moments would be burned into the minds of everyone for the rest of their lives. Breaking free from the rest of the group, the mirrored spider monster charged towards Nozomi with an expression of bloodlust clearly evident in its dead eyes. Acidic venom smoked on the ground as its fangs discharged in almost orgasmic ecstasy. Its armour was cracked in places but no blood was seeping through. Leaping into the air, the monster heard a sound of running footsteps and crackling energy but paid it no mind. The Riders of this world were weak and would fall easily after they had witnessed the death of this foolish human girl. He would gain the strength and, more importantly, power needed to breach the dimensional barrier and bring chaos to the ones that had sent him here. How he would be able to gain revenge on the mysterious Rider was beyond his level of understanding but it would happen. Baring his fangs once more, he leapt into the air in what would be the final moments of the girl's life.

 _"Watch out!"_

A glowing figure leapt over Nozomi and slammed into the monster, knocking it off course. As the creature crashed to the ground, Nozomi blinked slowly and shook her head as if coming out of a stupor. What had come over her in the past few moments, she didn't know but now that it had apparently vanished from her mind, she could think clearly for the first time since the ending of the concert all those hours ago. Thinking back, she had recalled seeing something moving in one of the mirrors near her but had dismissed it as a figment of her imagination – up until the point where something had come out of the mirror to splash onto her face. Lifting up her right hand, her fingers caught onto some sort of webbing and pulled it away; though that motion did nothing to quell the emotions churning up inside her heart. Looking at her saviour, she stumbled back as the transformation glow surrounding it faded, leaving her stunned at the new sight.

"Who…who are you?"

The new Rider was clad in orange material that almost looked like spandex with a flickering flame design running down his sides. His chest was covered with a simple armoured vest with a symbol embossed on the upper right side. From her vantage point, it looked almost like a dinosaur of some sort but that couldn't be realistic. Short spikes protruded from his shoulders and curved slightly upwards, though they were too dull to be used as ramming weapons. His fists were covered by white gloves that looked as though they had been speckled with some sort of red colouration and his black boots glistened wetly. His head was covered by a frighteningly realistic helmet that looked nothing like the other Riders; moulded in the shape of a snarling dinosaur with no discernable mouth plate that she could see. On his belt was a strangely streamlined device that looked like an enlarged buckle of some kind and there was a turret of some kind on his right arm. In short, whoever this new player was, he looked as deadly as he could get without brandishing a bloody machete. Opening her mouth to ask again, the figure turned his head slightly and spoke in slightly accented English.

 _"Kamen Rider RAPTOR."_

TBC…

AN: And, with this, Masked Family is officially part of my massive Ultra Crystals universe/Multiverse. Of course, I need to write the chapters leading up to this event but they'll come soon. Also, italics are English.


	4. Power to Tearer

AN: Yes, I have made Masked Family part of the Ultra Crystals multiverse but the only 'required' prior chapter readings are Kamen Rider Tyrant chapter 40 (Unexpected Assistance) and Powers Unleashed chapters 89 (Another Crossing) – 95 (Dispersal). And, yes, I am using Idiosyncratic Episode naming with μ's and Kamen Rider song titles. English words are in italics...as usual. And I don't own the licensed chatracters.

Chapter Four: Power to Tearer

Weihan Liang was not having a very good time.

After coming down from the high of piloting the Dino Ultimax against Slashing Nak, he had to wait until his double had cobbled together the parts needed for the smaller Dimensional Opener and assembled everything. He was noticeably silent about what had happened with AJ and Hartford's son but he supposed he needed to concentrate without thinking of unnecessary things. For some reason, he had added a recall function just in case he landed in a dimension that was overly hostile. When he had asked why this was needed, since the data from the Dimension Door would be ported, his double had explained that, while they had an accurate assessment of where his home dimension actually was, the slight variances in the frequencies that had occurred when Xonix had moved from Equestria had thrown everything off by an extremely slight margin. If he were to use the Dimension Door, the small variances would be exacerbated and could cause him to be stuck in his dimension – but in the past or far future. Since he had no desire to see another evil future ever again, he had wisely decided to wait.

His double had informed him that, if he did press the recall button, it would take some time for a clean signal to punch through the variances. He had estimated around forty to fifty minutes with a ten-minute window for a stable portal to be generated. Anything more than that and he would run the risk of rupturing the Dimension Barriers so severely that he would cause total and complete failure. He had taken that information to heart as he really didn't want to be responsible for trillions upon trillions upon trillions of lives being snuffed out. After a quick charging of his Turbine from the Ultra Cavern, he had opened a portal and had stepped through to what he hoped was home. Unfortunately, it wasn't as smooth as he had hoped. His journey had ended, rather abruptly, several storeys up and he had a strange feeling he had hung in the air for a few seconds like some sort of cartoon character…before slamming into the ground below. Some sort of antennae poking up from the concrete had opened up a rather deep gash in his leg but it had been healed thanks to his Ultra Crystal. The residual pain, however, had taken a bit longer to fade away. It was then that he had realised he wasn't in the right dimension.

By his reckoning, he was in Japan, outside the Tokyo Dome, but there were posters around him advertising an event, and a band, he had never heard of. Also, there was a small point about the date on the posters being 2015…but he wasn't going to nitpick this turn of events. After being mistaken by a tourist by two strangely familiar men, he had wandered off in their direction before coming across a strange sight near the back area. While he hadn't really kept up with the Kamen Rider shows back home, he had seen one called Black RX and had, eventually, ribbed Dex about the similar armour design and if he was going to claim any royalties. There was a group of nine girls around the same age and one of them, a tall girl with ash-blonde hair, was speaking to a guy that looked maddeningly like the main actor – Tetsuo Kurata. As the signs around him were advertising the third Love Live event, he didn't really know what was going on but it hadn't seemed like a fan signing. He had wanted to leave the rather intimate reunion but something had compelled him to stick around, albeit out of sight. Feeling rather like a creeper, he had crouched behind a nearby pillar and wondered why his 'danger sense' was pricking. He also debated whether or not to press the recall button but had held off until he knew what was going on. As it had turned out, he had fought the urge to groan out loud as soon as the strange Japanese guy in the bloodied lab coat had appeared from a lightning bolt.

As his Japanese was a bit too rusty for comfort, he hadn't really understood what was happening…until the supposed actor and another man that had joined him had transformed into actual Kamen Riders. He had openly gaped at the sight and had to fight the overpowering urge to transform as he didn't really want to be seen as an enemy Rider. When the other Riders showed up and joined the battle, he had made up his mind to leave the area and wait for everything to end. However, he had been close enough to the girls to hear the confession of the purple-haired one to the blonde that had been threatened by the creepy old guy. Peeking around the pillar, he had seen her stepping away from the group…and then he had seen the creatures that had been summoned. He had moved on instinct, summoning the Turbine to him and transforming while running towards them and shouting out a warning that he desperately hoped was understood. Leaping into the air, he soared over the heads of the stunned girl and slammed his fist into the spider monster while wondering how in Celestia a Wraith had appeared. As he heard a question from behind him, he answered as best as he could – praying that the question had been regarding his identity.

 _"Kamen Rider RAPTOR."_

Without wasting any more time, he launched himself at the recovering Wraith and slammed his left fist into the creature's chest. He could hear the cracking of its armour and hoped that the hit hadn't been hard enough to make it bleed. The last thing anyone needed was to see a spider creature making a weapon out of its blood. He followed up with an elbow strike to its mouth, a knee to its chest and – finally – a full clip unloaded into its head from the Rider Shoot. As it fell back, he positioned himself for the finisher before a barrage of web blasts caught him unawares. Silently cursing at himself for forgetting there were other monsters apart from the Wraith, he fell to the ground and struggled in an attempt to free himself. He could hear one of the girls talking to the others and, within moments, could see them around him tearing off the webbing that obstructed his hands and feet. They kept asking questions but he couldn't really understand what was boing said, though he was able to pick up on their names. The ash-blonde girl was Kotori and the one that had willingly put herself in front of the Wraith was Nozomi. Her hopeful girlfriend was Eli and the energetic orange haired girl was Honoka. The serious one that kept instructing them was Umi, the quiet one was Hanayo and the other girls were Rin, Nico and Maki. After a few moments, his hands were free of the webbing and he tore the rest of the silk away from his legs. Closing his eyes under his helmet, he wondered how he would get out of this situation. Thinking hard about his next actions, he almost missed the heavily accented voice coming from Nozomi.

 _"Thank you for saving me and freeing me from its control. What is happening here?"_

He opened his mouth to speak but a flash of light to his left alerted him of danger. In one deft movement, he grabbed the surprised girl and twirled around as a blast of energy splashed across his back. Roaring in pain, he blinked through the warnings flashing up and ground his teeth together as the destructive energy chewed through several layers of armour within seconds. As soon as it reached the final layer of armour, which had become so hot to scorch his skin, the blast stopped and he willed the Power to heal him. Breathing heavily, he looked down at the scared girl and tried to push everything to the back of his mind – something that was harder than it sounded. Looking up at the other eight girls, and a rather stunned untransformed Rider, he managed a weak grin and moved his left hand in the universal sign of thumbs up. Releasing Nozomi from his grip, he shakily stood up and turned to face the Wraith. He didn't know how it was possible but there was no mistaking it; this Wraith was a reincarnation of the one that had attacked outside Australasia Worldwide several months ago. Tightening his hands into fists, he stepped towards the Wraith and growled.

 _"I destroyed you months ago and in my home dimension. How the fuck did you return?"_

The monster stared at him for a brief moment before starting to laugh.

 _"So, you do remember me. I do not know what this word 'dimension' means but my anger and hatred upon you did not fade with my destruction. I awoke in this place and was found by that man over there. He witnessed my emergence and promised me the death of the Rider; however, if I had known it was you – I would have hunted you down myself!"_

Resisting the urge to take his eyes of the Wraith for a single second, Weihan activated the rear cameras on his suit. Much to his consternation, several of the monitors were blank but he could see that the untransformed man was steadily moving the girls away from the battle area. Looking past the Wraith, he could see the other Riders engaged in battle with the remaining grunts and the other Spider monsters but, as they weren't Wraiths, he knew they could handle themselves. Summoning the Rider Blade to him in a flash of flames, he settled into a ready stance and prepared for the counterattack. On the other hand, he wanted to know what the main goal of the Wraith was.

 _"Seems to me you got duped. I wasn't even here until a few minutes ago. What's your game plan, then? After you supposedly defeat me, then what? Bloodless Mary doesn't exist here and there are plenty of other Riders that can take you down."_

Nozomi's ears perked up on the piece of information the mysterious Rider had provided; that he was from another dimension and had only recently arrived. There was also a name that made no sense to her or Daisuke – Bloodless Mary, though she doubted it had any connection to the other urban legend of Bloody Mary. Shaking her head, both from the adrenaline of saving his life and the thought of what she had almost done, she looked back at her friends to gauge their reactions. As expected, almost all of them were looking at the circling battle that was reaching its peak…except Eli. The blonde girl was looking at her with a mixture of emotions on her face: sorrow, confusion and a strange look of love that filled her with warmth. They would need to have a talk about what had happened in the near future but, for some reason, she wanted to prolong it as long as she could. Chastising herself for her silly thoughts, she stifled a sob as she recalled the dagger that had come so close to taking Eli away from her. She had survived the encounter with only a small nick on her left ear but if the other Rider had been just a fraction of a second too slow…

"Don't think about it, Nozomi."

Hanayo's voice from her right made her jump as the orange clad Rider charged at the spider monster. She looked away from the clashing of his blade against the mirrored armour to see the quiet girl looking at her with a ghost of a smile whispering on her lips.

"You were thinking about what could have happened, weren't you? It didn't happen – Eli didn't die and neither did you. We're not sure what that webbing did to you but all of us are relieved you're not under its command any more. Although, you will have to talk to her soon."

Swallowing back her protest, she wondered how Hanayo had become so observant of her thoughts and the feelings of those around her. Raising her head to look at Eli again, she shyly smiled at her friend and wondered when she would find her true courage again. Yes, the nine of them coming together was a miracle and it would always be one but another miracle was happening in front of her. If she didn't do anything, it would slip away but was she really strong enough to take Eli's hand and be led to a new future together? It almost didn't seem possible. She was so caught up in her thoughts; she missed the regrouping of the other Riders around them; Dictator Bloody, the Chaps and the empowered Spider mutants pushing them to their limits. Kotaro, in particular, was amazed by how strong the mutants had become – even with his enhanced and upgraded attacks. They weren't going down as easily as before and the few blows he had traded with the mirrored creature before it had run off were almost like striking against wet concrete. However, whoever this new Rider was, he seemed to be doing a better job.

The Rider Blade produced a shower of sparks at it grazed the back of the Wraith once more. Weihan didn't like this one bit as he had no control over the flow of the battle. One moment, he was setting up for the Raptor Blitz and the next moment he was dodging a volley of maddeningly familiar poison and paralysis barbs and blocking them so they didn't hit the mass of people behind him. Adding to the pressure was the fact that the hockey-masked grunts, the other spider creatures and the weird guy in the lab coat were attacking him as well – forcing him to go on the defensive more often than he would like. On one hand, he felt at ease; as if this was something that he should have been used to by now – barring the fact that Bloodless Mary and Jabarkas had only attacked with one Wraith at a time and had held off on sending those mirrored grunts. On the other hand, he was starting to feel as though they were stalling for something; that he seriously needed to get everyone out of the way before something permanent happened to them. On the other hoof, he also was keeping a very close eye on the way the Wraith moved around the lab coat guy.

He had been the one to see the revival of the Spider Wraith, which meant that his blood being spilled would fully power the Wraith to its original power. The events of the Colossus Wraith and how hard he and the others had to fight to even put a dent in it was still fresh in his mind and he seriously doubted he would have assistance from a cross-dimensional finishing move this time. Channelling fire to his palms, he rolled away from an attack and shot a stream of white-hot fire at the group of monsters – destroying one outright in an explosion of blue flame. Seeing the destruction that had been wrought, the lab coat guy started screaming in Japanese. Unfortunately, he didn't know what was being said at all.

"You, you destroyed one of my pets! One of my beautiful Gorgom mutant pets! You, damn you Rider, you damned Rider – you will not get away with this! Full Burst Setup!"

Kotaro swallowed hard as Dictator Bloody called the remaining mutants and the…Wraith, he had head it being called, to him. Drawing out his single-shot pistol, he pointed it at the Rider as a dangerous cloud of energy began to crackle between the individuals. For his part, the new Rider knew that whatever was happening wasn't a good thing and instantly began to run towards the group – yelling at them in English to shield the girls. Summoning most of his power to his forearms and back, Kotaro threw his arms out to form an energy shield that would block out most of the blast. Unfortunately, he had only tried this trick once and didn't really know how strong it would be. He saw the others setting up meagre defences of their own; Blade coating his body with the Metal Trilobite Undead card, Agito using the Storm Halberd as a spinning shield and Zangetsu attempting to use his Melon Defender in the way it was originally envisioned. Taking on the blast head-on would drain the majority of their power and would leave them vulnerable to attack in their weakened state, though the same would be true of Dictator Bloody and his entourage of monsters.

Leaping into the air, the Orange Rider could see the other Riders setting up their forms of defence but the amount of energy that was being set up would be too great for them to block. He had something up his sleeve and Shining Light was guiding him on how to go about it but it was risky. It was extremely risky and there was a 9-in-10 chance that successfully pulling this off would leave him in a coma for Luna knew how long. But he had looked into Nozomi's eyes and had seen the depth of emotion and passion there. He had seen the way she had taken charge and helped pull the webbing off him so soon after being freed from the controlling webs of the Wraith, an ability he hadn't known about until just then. He could see the bonds of love and kinship she held with the other girls and had felt the bonds they shared with her. He couldn't allow the Wraith to snuff everything out in an instant and, even if there was a chance he would die in this other dimension, he would do whatever it took to protect their hearts and innocence. Landing in front of the group as the lab coat guy began firing, he crossed both arms in front of him and dug his heels into the ground. He wanted to protect their innocence for as long as he could.

Even if it killed him.

TBC…


	5. Psychic Fire

Chapter Five: Psychic Fire

"Is he awake yet?"

Kotaro looked down at the figure and shook his head, causing his cousin's shoulders to slump down in defeat. Thanks to their mysterious saviour, they had suffered very little damage in the Full Burst attack Dictator Bloody had fired at them. Most of the destructive energy had bounced off the incredibly powerful shield that he had erected and had blown the Crisis Empire leader and his group of creatures clear across the way. Where they had ended up, the Rider wasn't sure but he hoped they weren't in a position to attack immediately or they would be crushed. Running a hand through his hair, he looked down at the man once more and shook his head; wondering where he had come from. As far as he knew, the newest Rider on the block was some kid named Takeru who transformed into Kamen Rider Ghost and he had heard nothing from any of his contacts about other Riders appearing. Even the name, Kamen Rider Raptor, was unfamiliar to him – though he had a strange feeling the person in front of him wasn't from this dimension.

Looking behind him at the other Riders, he sighed in frustration as he checked himself for any internal damage. His cousin and her friends were unharmed, though Nozomi was still recovering from the mental trauma of what she had nearly done. In a way, he understood what had happened. The 'Wraith' had shot a strand of near-invisible webbing at the girl from the shadows and that had called upon and magnified her deepest instincts of love, protection and self-sacrifice. When she had taken it off her face, its powers had been lost. It was an extremely devious act and one that spoke of vast levels of intelligence. He just hoped there weren't any more Wraiths lurking around in the shadows. Gently tapping on the Sunriser buckle, he looked over the faces of those he had gathered and picked the one that would be the best suited for the next task.

"Kenzaki, can you sense anything from him?"

The brown haired man walked over and placed a hand on his chest. Closing his eyes, the Blue Joker Undead sifted through the emotions and energies coming from the new Rider and furrowed his brow in confusion. He was picking up on a fierce determination, echoes of extremely chaotic battles and a strange sense of despairing loss. There was also something inside his mind, almost like a spiritual presence that was guiding him and helping him find the emotions and memories he was searching for. In all his years helping people as an Undead, he had never found someone with such strong qualities; except the Riders around him. However, his dealings with Tsukasa Kadoya had allowed him to pick up on small particles he had come to call 'Extradimension Waves', though they weren't really waves at all. The Rider on the ground was practically bathed in them and they were two different types as well, though they were very similar to each other.

Images began to flash inside his mind's eye of impossible battles involving hundreds, if not thousands, of combatants, impossibly tall monsters, a reptilian creature holding a bloody railroad spike as long as his arm and a dragon monster exploding in a violet fireball. Incredibly, he also saw a vision of something on an incredibly small screen of his exploits as a Rider when he had been human; complete with subtitles. Lifting his hand from the unconscious man in shock, Kenzaki shook his head as he tried to process what he had just seen. There was no doubt in his mind that he wasn't from their dimension and had come to theirs either by accident or some strange quirk of fate. However he had come here, there was no denying that he had been a massive help in the past ten minutes. The only issue now was when he would wake up and if it would be soon. Since becoming an Undead, he had discovered that his senses in detecting evil had strengthened and he was receiving rather odd signs from the area where Dictator Bloody and the monsters had been flung.

 _"What the hell happened?"_

The young man below him stirred and groaned in English as he awoke from his slumber. Although he had been in many English speaking countries, Kenzaki had never properly grasped the language as he hadn't stayed in one place for a very long while. For a semi-retired Pulitzer Prize winning photographer, Hajime was always on the move. Stepping back, he allowed Kotaro, Hongo and the two English speaking girls to crowd around the reclining man; chuckling lightly at the brief flash of distress and confusion on his face.

Upon later reflection, Weihan would have sworn that the first thing he had seen when coming out of his micro-coma was Nozomi's chest. Of course, he could be certain of that as he had found himself being enveloped in a flying hug/tackle that was very reminiscent of Pinkie's glomps…only he was on the ground and there wasn't really any place he could move. Briefly wondering why every single girl he seemed to meet always wanted to hug him in awkward positions, the Rider struggled to sit up. Although it didn't seem as though he was hurt, he allowed a wave of Power to pass through him as reinforcement. Shifting his body to be comfortable while ensuring nothing was standing at attention, he snorted in amusement at the girl clinging to him and nodded at the two men. Now he knew they weren't Tetsuo Kurata and Hiroshi Fujioka but the actual Kotaro Minami and Hongo Takeshi. This would make one hell of a story to tell when he got back but he wasn't sure anyone would believe it.

 _"So, by now you've figured out that I'm not from around here. My name is Weihan Liang and, from where I'm from, I am known as Kamen Rider Raptor. I came here by accident while trying to get back to my home dimension."_

Shifting slightly to avoid outright groping Nozomi in front of a visibly amused Eli, he brought out his Dimensional Opener and checked it for any external damage. Thankfully the recall button hadn't been accidentally pressed, which meant he was still OK and wasn't going to be unavoidably hurried. Slipping it back into its subspace pocket, he wondered why he hadn't done that before, before shaking his head. Whatever the reason, it wasn't important as wondering why – and how – a Wraith had been created in a dimension that was practically cut off from his. Also, he would probably have to do some explaining to the Riders that were peering down on him and the sobbing girl on his lap but, excruciating as it was for him to leave a girl in distress, it would have to wait. Holing up a finger to staunch the flow of oncoming questions, he thought back to the first battle with the Spider Wraith and the first meeting with Bloodless Mary. It had looked more like a spider then and hadn't seemed to possess any sort of speaking abilities, though its intelligence and cunning had been rather high. Its webbing hadn't had any sort of magical compulsion ability either; making this new change all the more worrying.

Exhaling slowly, he closed his eyes and psychically probed Nozomi's mind to see if he could find any traces of the control that the Wraith had put her under. As expected, he found nothing – only a vague sense that something had been done to the chemical makeup of her mind. Channelling a light burst of energy into her mind, he felt her squirm slightly as the healing energy ensured she would be safe from any repeat incidents. He also tried to put the feeling of the squirming at the back of his mind but, judging from the muted giggles coming from Kotori, he wasn't doing such a good job. Opening his eyes, he found Nozomi staring at him and could see a faint flicker of orange energy in her eyes. To his right, Kotaro crouched down and addressed him with a question that needed to be asked.

 _"Thank you again. What was that creature and why was it so strong?"_

Weihan looked up at the night sky and wondered what he could safely tell them. Kotori had finished translating the question to the other girls and Riders and they were awaiting his answer. Making up his mind, he opened his mouth.

 _"They're called Wraiths, beings born from the mirror that have extraordinary strengths and very few weaknesses. Bloodless Mary leads them; though I doubt you'll have to face her here. The only way to defeat them is with a combination of high heat and blunt force impact or a blast of heavily concentrated energy. Anything else and it'll bleed; allowing the Wraith to shape it into weapons. What I don't understand is how one of them, especially one I defeated a few months ago, was able to come back."_

Shaking his head once more as Kotori translated his answer, he mulled over that thought in his mind. He could see no form of alien holographic technology, so he could rule a Simul-Deck malfunction off the list. Sighing under his breath, he looked past Nozomi and the Riders to the flat expanse of ground they had been fighting on. He didn't know who had dragged his unconscious form away from the battle site but he was willing to bet it had been one of the Riders. Or it was Rin. Chuckling as he heard the disgusted sounds coming from the others as Kotori explained, he pulled out the Activation Gem and stared at it, wondering why he had ended up here. Had it been a glitch in the co-ordination software that couldn't be re-corrected in time or had he run afoul of one of the ripples that Xonix had produced? Or it could have been that he was supposed to have been here all along; that this world was where the original anomaly that had opened up after the battle with the Colossus Wraith should have sent him. Honestly, it was giving him a headache and a half just thinking about it.

An, yet, he couldn't be more excited to be in this world. It was one with actual Riders from various shows he had, admittedly, only watched one or two episodes of and with Riders that he had never seen before. The guy in the business suit and the guy carrying his underwear on a stick piqued his interest and he made a mental note to look out for their Rider shows in the future. Rolling his head to loosen up the muscles, he swallowed hard as he realised his eyes had been wandering to Nozomi's ample…charms. Looking the other way only served to fluster him more as the girls were wearing what appeared to be training gear with little regard to how it clung to their bodies. Attempting to push those thoughts out of his mind, all chatter was silenced as a pained scream rang out from across the way – being cut off abruptly as if the screamer had been…no. He felt a torrent of ice water gush down his spine as he connected the dots. Carefully slowing his breathing to not panic the others, he motioned Kotaro and Hongo to come closer and spoke in a low voice so Nozomi wouldn't hear and become even more frightened than before.

 _"There are two ways a Wraith can attain its full power. One is by waiting an hour or so or by not using much energy during that time. The other way is by killing the person, or people that saw it emerge. Now, I don't speak a whole lot of Japanese but I'm willing to bet that lab coat guy saw the rebirth of the Wraith. Judging by that scream, I doubt that guy is alive but I hope to Hell I'm wrong. If I'm not, you and the other Riders need to protect these girls at all cost and leave the Wraith to me. I'm the only one with enough power and experience to handle whatever new tricks it's picked up with its Awakening."_

The two Riders looked at each other before nodding, making him exhale in relief. On the other hand, he hadn't told them that he had only seen one Awakened Wraith but they didn't need to worry about that. As much as he wanted to sit on the ground in front of the Tokyo Dome with a beautiful girl on his lap, he could hear the heavy footsteps coming closer…something he could see the other Riders picking up on. Steeling himself for what he would see, he rose on slightly shaking legs and turned around to face…something rather unexpected.

"Surprised to see me alive?"

Dictator Bloody's grin turned into a grimace of pain as he looked down at the bleeding stump that had once been his right arm. He had been right not to turn his back on the mirrored monster for an instant as it had moved with an uncanny speed and had cleaved off his arm neatly. Even if he won the next battle, he wouldn't get his arm back as it had been swallowed whole – and twitching – by the monster. The Spider mutants seemed unsure of this new development but they would follow the stronger leader. Unfortunately for the Riders and their new ally, they wouldn't be around long enough to prepare a counter-attack. This meant he would be forced to reveal his greatest transformation and he would be willingly casting aside his humanity. On the other claw, he had cast aside too much for something silly like emotion to get in the way. Clenching his eyes shut, a deep and guttural growl ripped free from his throat and caused all individuals to take a step back as his body began to ripple and change. His ribs burst from under his lab coat, sending a gout of blood and flesh onto the pavement as his organs slid around each other, jostling for their new positions.

His feet exploded in a shower of bloody mist as taloned toes unfurled from the flesh layer he had hidden them in. He could feel unimaginable agony tearing through his back as his spinal column detached from his ribs and peeled away from him, twisting and turning to become a bladed staff. His left arm bulged grotesquely outward as a secondary arm, created from the cells of the late Emperor Crisis and implanted inside his body before his ultimate defeat, pulled its way free. The remaining bones in his right arm pushed out from his stump to create small bone blades. Finally, a helmet made up of a reptilian creature formed on his head.

"Grand Bloody will see to your destruction, Riders!"

Chuckling darkly, the Awakened Spider Wraith pushed his former master aside, causing the accursed Raptor Rider to stiffen in shock. While he hadn't changed outwardly that much, he was brimming with a greater amount of power than he had felt before. Plunging his hands into his cracked chest, the Wraith used his new energies to fashion his blood into twin-barbed swords and pointed them at the miserable human. He knew he wasn't fully Awakened as the thing that had seen his emergence still lived and breathed but he would gain all of his Awakened abilities upon its miserable destruction. The Spider Mutants would prove for a useful distraction against the Riders and they would be held down to watch the torture and deaths of the weak girls. That would break their heroic spirits nicely and his revenge would be complete.

 _"Ready for Round Two, Rider? I promise it will not be as easy as before."_

Gently disengaging Nozomi's arms from his neck, Weihan pushed her behind him and stood in front of her, aware that the others were standing in front of the girls as well. Upon review of this scene later, he would find amusement in the way they positioned themselves: Hongo protecting Honoka, the guy in the business suit watching over Maki, the second Rider – Ichimonji – in front of Nico and, of course, Kotaro in front of Kotori. Flashes of light signalled the summoning of various belts, locks and cards and he summoned the Turbine in a burst of flame. As the belt tightened, he lifted up the Activation Gem and prepared to transform and protect the relative innocence of the girl behind him. This light show would almost surpass the one he had witnessed during the final battle with Xonix but it would be all worth it in the end. As Hongo and Kotaro nodded at him to begin the sequence, he couldn't help but feel incredibly honoured and humbled by the action. Inhaling deeply, he channelled power to the gem and yelled out with all his might.

 _"HENSHIN!"_

TBC…

AN: Ha. Yeah. So that happened. I may up the rating on this story if it gets any bloodier. Of course, I can't really get any bloodier than having people explode via going too fast or having railway spikes jammed into one's body...


	6. Let's Go Rider Kick

Chapter Six: Let's Go Rider Kick

In every dimension, there are Grids.

In the majority of dimensions, these grids are never found or accessed at all by the inhabitants. Some times, they are only accessed during times of great need or in those moments where an once-in-a-lifetime burst of strength is needed. In other times, these Grids are accessed by a chosen few who use its powers as they see fit; either ruling over the populace with an iron fist or fighting for universal peace. Finally, there are the Grid Worlds – worlds where the power of the Grids are amplified and rather readily accessible for all to use via special devices such as crystals or cards. Power can be added to these Grids and can be spread out to those who draw from certain sides to empower them. Such a charging event is called a Supercharge and has only been seen a handful of times in all the infinite number of dimensions. This event can only happen if there is a person from another dimension that uses their Grid on the same wavelength as the native dimension. The two Grids will, for the briefest of moments, touch and exchange unimaginable power. The effects can last weeks or mere minutes but the effects will ensure that whatever obstacle is in the way will be eventually defeated. Of course, none of this mattered to the nine Riders in front of Grand Bloody, the Awakened Spider Wraith and its brethren of mutants and Chaps.

Slamming the Activation Gem into the Turbine, Weihan's eyes narrowed as gouts of flame erupted from the System. The fire ran up his sides and covered his body in the magical spandex-like armour he had worn only a few hours ago in the other world. In a flash that forced the assembled forces of evil to avert their eyes, the RAPTOR Body Vest materialised on his chest, along with his black boots and white gloves that were flecked with red; something that would always remind him of the tragedy he had faced in the Bad Future. Behind him, Nozomi watched in fascination as the fire covered his head and instinctively stepped back as it erupted in a could of orange and red. However, to her amazement, the flames that did reach her skin didn't feel as though they were burning to cause damage and destruction. No, if it made any sort of sense at all, it felt as though those flames were there to embrace her and shield her from the horrors of the Wraiths. The ghost of a smile played on her lips as she saw his frighteningly detailed helmet snap into place and the Rider fell into a pose that looked natural for the wild power at his disposal.

 _"Kamen Rider RAPTOR, ready."_

Takatora Kureshima stepped up next, giving the Orange Rider a nod of approval. His Melon Lock Seed was in his hand and the prototype Watermelon Lock Seed he had received all those years ago was clipped to his belt. If need be, he could also use the Melon Energy Lock Seed with the Genesis Driver but he doubted such a thing would be needed. In any case, the red headed girl behind him was counting on him to protect her – just like Micchi had counted on his protection. Well, he was developing into a fine young man, even after the Helheim Event had put him through all manners of wringers. Feeling for the opening switch with his right thumb, he pressed it to begin his transformation.

 _"MELON"_

Placing the Sengoku Driver on his waist, he grimaced in discomfort as the belt aggravated some of his older injuries. Placing the Lock Seed into the Drive Bay, he pressed down on the open lock and activated the Driver. Although he would never admit it to his face, he was eternally grateful to Oren for showing him how to mute most of the unnecessary transformation announcements, besides the opening and main ones. However, this would be the last time he would transform into an Armoured Rider as he would need to lead the newly restructured Yggdrasil Company into a new wave of rebuilding efforts. Well, that and the new Rider he had heard about was doing a good job at protecting the world. Pressing down on the Cutting Blade, he allowed the Ride Wear to materialise on his body before the Melon themed Armour Part dropped on his head. Maki was treated to the rather amusing sight of a slightly oversized melon replacing his head – before the transformation began.

" _Melon Arms_ ; Tenka Gomen!"

Hefting the Melon Defender up with his right hand, he looked back to see the girl looking at him with wonder and amazement in her eyes and smiled. For the briefest of moments, he wondered if he should strike an intimidating pose but, with an internal shake of his head, decided it wasn't really his thing.

"Armoured Rider Zangetsu, ready."

Eiji Hino stepped up next, still slightly dazed by seeing a melon literally drop from nowhere. Although it didn't really compare with seeing an actual Rider from the future, a Rider from another dimension was pretty cool to see. Flashing Rin a quick grin, he thanked whatever Gods were looking over him that he actually had managed to charge up the emergency cell phone Hina had given him before his journey. The call had come from literally out of the blue from a Rider he hadn't met during the Rider Battle but he had accepted the instructions and directions as best as he could. Placing the OOO Driver to his waist, he fumbled around in his pockets for the Core Medals he had received from the future Ankh and mentally prepared himself for the battle ahead. While the Kougami Foundation had made some degree of process in restoring the broken Core Medal, fully repairing the damage that had been done to it would take a long time. Placing the Core Medals for his main Combo in the slots, he activated his transformation.

"TAKA! TORA! BATTA! TATOBA, TATOBA, TATOBA!"

Though, there were some times where he really wished he'd asked Ankh how to turn off that transformation jingle. Dropping into his 'default' pose with his arms up and ready for attack, he eschewed a call of his name for his battle cry and waited for the attack to begin.

Daisuke stepped up and held the Drake Grip up to the sky. As always, the Drake Zecter appeared a few metres above his head and obediently flew towards it. Although the threat of the Worms had ended, the remaining ZECT members had graciously allowed the former Riders to keep their Rider Systems in case of a stronger threat. What that threat would be, they didn't say at the time; though he had a strange feeling they knew about the threats that had continually plagued the world since. Not that anyone else cared about the looming danger though. Threats would always be a part of life and the only thing that really mattered was expressing one's feelings before it was too late. Looking at the blonde girl behind him, he hoped she would talk to her friend soon. As the final connector slotted into place, he felt a brief electric charge run through his body as the Masked Form armour materialised on him. Although it was good in some situations, he wouldn't need the added weight slowing his attacks down.

" _Cast Off_."

Pulling the trigger on the end of the Drake Zecter, he heard the mechanical hums and clicks as the armour separated from the inner suit. A heartbeat later, his vision was filled with a wave of blue and white armour plates as they forcibly ejected from his body. Several of them struck a few Chaps – the shards ripping into their bodies and destroying them instantly. Looking at the assembled creatures, he wondered what Tendou would do or say in such a situation before allowing his mind to relax.

" _Change – Dragonfly!_ "

Kenzaki watched the transformations with mild interest as he waged an internal battle within his mind. A part of him wanted to transform into the Navy Joker and decimate the beings in front of him. No matter what the Rider from the other dimension had said, nothing could stand up to his attacks in his Joker form for long. Of course, this would have the unwanted effect of alerting BOARD and Hajime to the fact that he had transformed into the Navy Joker again. Seeing as though he didn't want to spend another three hours on the phone apologizing to Tachibana and Hajime, he, almost reluctantly, brought out his Blay Rouser. Sliding in the Ace Beetle Undead card into the card slot, he snorted with amusement as he realised he could have just used his Chalice Rouser and skipped the flashy sequence. He supposed old habits died hard. Suppressing his reaction to yell out in fury, he raised his right arm across his chest and, with a slight narrowing of his eyes, flipped his hand to face palm-out.

 _"Turn Up!"_

A blue and silver card projected out of the Rouser and materialised in front of him for a few seconds before sliding over him with a soft sigh. His Rider Suit and armour didn't materialise on him as they had in the past, instead growing out of his body in a literal split-second. With a slight smile, he recalled the first time that had happened and the way Hajime had almost knocked himself out laughing. Thanks to the Undead and Joker DNA inside his body, his armour would always have a slightly organic look but would protect him much better than the BOARD System. The downside would be that he would need to consume a lot more calories if he was damaged but he didn't mind eating extra. Exhaling sharply as his helmet formed around his head, he looked over at the form of the RAPTOR Rider. No matter how low his voice had been, he had heard the words that he had given to Hongo and Kotaro. As powerful as the Joker inside of him was and no matter how much his instincts wanted him to destroy in with his bare hands, he would leave the Awakened Wraith to the Rider. The amount of raw power it was leeching into the atmosphere was enough to set his teeth on edge but he would do his duty. The girl behind him, Umi Sonada, would be safe. And if she wanted to train in archery, he knew a few people that could help further her ambitions.

Shoichi Tsugami glanced down at the glowing Alter Ring on his waist and willed up the fighting instincts inside his body. Never again had he imagined he would need to transform and protect people he didn't know but he had been asked by one of the great Riders personally. Of course, he had already been in the area as Mana was interested in seeing the Love Live concert and the final performance of her favourite group of school idols. To find out that one of the members of said idol group was the cousin of Kotaro was a shock but it was nothing compared to the thrill of actually being in a battle once more. The Overlord of Darkness had mentally informed him that a greater threat would appear in his future, though he had thought that had been the Rider Battle. Evidently, it wasn't and, surprisingly enough, he was glad for that. He just had to remember to get their autographs before he left or Mana would chew him out for the next few months. He was also sure that Ryo would help her.

Bringing down both hands to the side of the Alter Ring, he pushed his palms inward – causing his armour to materialise on his body in a flash of light. Power flooded his body but it felt different from the first time. This energy felt more…raw and primal, if such a feeling existed. It was both energising and terrifying and made him think of the feeling he had gotten when facing down the El of Water the first time. Fighting at night would mean his Shining Form wouldn't be at peak efficiency but he was sure he could use the Burning Form to light the way for the others. Closing his eyes in preparation, he allowed a calm to settle over his mind as he waited for the other Riders to transform.

Kotori watched as Kotaro transformed wordlessly in front of her, a wide smile on her face despite the danger. Steam leaked out of the joints of his armoured form as she saw the eyes on his helmet light up in readiness. For his part, Kotaro looked at Grand Bloody with a mixture of determination and tranquil fury on his face. He was the final leader of the Crisis Empire and he would not allow him to sully the earth for a second longer. Reaching him would be another story altogether but the other Riders would provide the impetus he needed to find a gap. Once Grand Bloody, the Spider Mutants and the Wraith were destroyed, he would spend a lot of time finally relaxing…until the next threat reared its head. Turning his head, he looked at Kotori and felt a pulse of love spread through his body. In many ways, his cousin had been the best thing to happen to him for as long as he could recall. He had also seen her growing confidence in Akiba as Minalinsky and had been present at almost all of her concerts. Resisting the urge to call upon the Revolcane, he prepared his body for the battle ahead.

"Kamen Rider Black RX!"

Honoka and Nico's jaws dropped in unison as Hongo and Ichimonji transformed in front of them wordlessly. Their armour complimented the others beautifully and their scarves flew in an unfelt wind. The way the armour melted onto their bodies was like nothing they had ever seen before but they were smart enough not to touch the rippling energy of their forming suits. Sharing a look, both girls stepped back and rejoined the other seven girls as they marvelled at their protectors. Eight were Riders from armour them whose legacy spanned from the first Riders on the planet to one that had recently retired from the fight. The other figure was a Rider from another dimension who had arrived here by accident or design and whose actions had saved Nozomi from a grisly fate. On the other hand, it could have been said that her grisly fate to explain her actions to Eli was looking in front of her…but they chose to pay it no mind. Whether she explained during or after the battle was on her and her alone. No matter what, the Riders would protect them from harm and each of their 'assigned' Riders would do their utmost to protect them.

Seeing as everyone had completed their transformations, Hongo smiled to himself as the mechanisms inside his armour deployed needles of oil and lubricants to his mechanical parts. This would be the battle that would end the Crisis Empire for good – he could feel it in his bones. However, there was one more thing to do. Lifting his right fist into the air, he shouted out words that were echoed by all of the Riders, whether in Japanese or English, the rallying cry of their power.

"We are _Kamen Riders_!"

TBC…

AN: Yup, I pretty much copied my spiel on Grids from Rangers of Equestria Chapter 121. Changed it a bit though. And italics are English words/phrases.


	7. Start Dash

Chapter Seven: Start Dash

It was a sight that would stay with Kotori for the rest of her life.

After the Riders had cried out, they rushed towards the monsters while pulling out various weapons – all while ensuring they formed a protective line. Blades clashed against mandibles and clashed with venom dripping fangs. For a moment, both sides wrested for control of the line and she knew that the smallest mistake on the part of the Riders would mean they would die. Thankfully, the Riders won out and pushed back the opposing army; spreading out while ensuring they were keeping the others safe. Finally gathering her scattered wits, Kotori looked to the others and tried to find a place where they wouldn't be so exposed. As they were right now, they could easily be attacked from all sides and she wasn't so sure Nozomi or Eli were in the right mental states to defend them. She wasn't really the leadership type but she could see Honoka enthralled by the flashy battles that were slowly spreading around them. In fact, it almost looked to her as though the Riders were keeping their battles in a ring-like shape with them in the middle. It warmed her heart to think that they were doing that for them, even at the expense of losing some of their famed manoeuvrability.

"Amazing…just look at them. The way they fight is like they're dancing."

Eli's eyes sparked as she watched the way the Riders deflected blows from the enemies around them, reciprocating with twice as much force to destroy the masked grunts several at a time. She watched in awe as the mysterious Rider from another realm ripped easily into the fiends surrounding him before gasping in fear as a relentless stream of blows from the mirrored monster assaulted him. She could see Nozomi, feverishly glancing in her direction from time to time, watching the battle with a slightly pain-stricken expression on her face and Eli closed her eyes, sighing heavily with the knowledge of what she had to do. Now wasn't the time, nor the place for such things but, if she was to be honest with herself, there would never be a time and place for what she was about to do. Plus, it would alleviate the looks Umi and Maki were sending her. Mirthlessly chuckling to herself, she walked over to the purple-haired girl that had confessed to her and embraced her from behind. Her surprised squeak made one or two Riders look in their direction but she didn't care.

"Eli, what…what are you…?"

Nozomi's voice trailed off as she felt Eli's arms encircle her waist. Sure, she had taken the initiative earlier on but that was due to that webbing controlling her mind and actions. She hadn't really been in control of her words either but she had meant them with every fibre of her being. And that kiss she had…oh, it made her body tingle thinking about it but this was a bit too much. Reconciling with her friend in front of everyone and in the middle of a battle as well; it was all different kinds of risqué! She felt a whispery breath on her left cheek as Eli placed her head next to hers and fought against the rising blush. Closing her eyes, she prayed this wasn't a fever dream brought about by seeing the death of the one she loved or a fantasy brought about by the last few moments of her life.

"Eli, please don't toy with me like this."

Eli closed her eyes at the tender and slightly hurt tone in her friend's voice and smiled. This was the correct thing to do and she had known from the very beginning this was how it should have been from the start. Same sex relationships had traditionally been frowned upon but with the recent ruling in the United Nations that all marriages and relationships were to be equal; she could finally be with the one she loved. Suppressing an instinctive flinch as an explosion boomed out meters away from them, she stood in front of Nozomi and looked her in the eye, very aware of a mischievous grin forming on her face.

"What do you mean? I should have noticed this a long time ago, Nozomi."

Nozomi swallowed hard, not knowing if any of this was real or not. It was all happening so fast and she wasn't in control of the situation…but something in the back of her mind encouraged her to let go of her fears and doubts and to embrace this new change.

"What are you trying to say…"

Any more words were quietened when Eli placed a finger on her lips. It was such a small and futile gesture but it had the effect of shutting her up within seconds. Of course, upon future reflection, the next words also did a very good job at shutting down her brain.

"Nozomi Tojo, I love you. I've always loved you for a very long time but I kept everything bottled inside. For the longest time, I wasn't honest with myself about how I felt and earlier tonight I almost died. I can't bear the thought of leaving you and not telling you how damn much you mean to me."

For a moment, her heart stopped. Then, her brain fully shut down all processing to her tongue and she let out a stream of extremely unbecoming babbling noises before forcibly taking mental control back from her stunned faculties. Pausing for a moment to calm the tempest in her mind and find the correct words to say, she looked up at Eli and wondered who she had pardoned in a past life for a blonde goddess to be interested in her.

"I…I love you too. From the moment I saw you and saw the way you distanced yourself from others; that was like finally meeting my other half. Joining together as μ's may have been one miracle but my first was finding you."

Both girls stepped closer, bodies and lips meeting in an explosive eruption of raw emotion. The others looked on, half fascinated by the display of untapped passion and half amazed that this was where everything had finally come to a head. It wasn't until several long seconds had ticked by that Eiji, landing after a rather successful GataKiriBa Scanning Charge, gently cleared his throat and tapped both girls on the shoulders. While young love, even same-sex love, was to be celebrated, he didn't think being dead centre in the middle of a battle zone was a place for said love to be celebrated. Although, he had been wrong on occasion.

"Uh, congratulations and all but this isn't really the time or place to be doing these sorts of things. We're trying to keep the fighting away from you and if you girls keep doing that…well…"

Embarrassed by the slight dressing down, both girls broke apart to applause from the rest of μ's. Even several of the closer Riders clapped as well, though their applause was shortened by the clash of weapons against armour. Kotori looked at the two lovers and smiled before sighing softly. All of these Riders had come to protect them against Grand Bloody and the creatures he had summoned but she didn't know why. Compared to the other girls, she didn't really have anything that stood out from the crowd. Sure, she had created the costumes for the others in their concerts but, apart from that, she really didn't have any defining characteristics. When it came to spontaneity and energy, Honoka and Rin had her practically in the dust and…well, the others had traits that she had wanted for so long. Eiji and Umi noticed the slightly hidden forlornness in her eyes and looked at each other to see who would make the first move. Ultimately, Umi's long history with her won out. Silently stepping up beside the ash blonde, she shook her head and opened her mouth.

"Kotori, are you all right? You seem a bit distracted. Well, moreso than the rest of us."

Kotori jumped slightly, not realising she was displaying her uncertainty so openly. Watching Agito change into a strange form that was three-toned, she bit her lower lip and nodded.

"I'm fine, Umi. I'm just wondering why the Riders have gathered to protect us. I'm nothing special, really. It's just…"

Umi shook her head and wondered what she could say to help her friend out of her funk. While Kotori had gained a bit more self-confidence in the past year, there had been times where she had been unsure of what to do and had made the decision of making no decision whatsoever. Or there had been times where she had slipped into an absent-minded mode when thinking of things she hadn't divulged. It hadn't really impacted their duties on the Student Council but it had popped up often enough that Honoka had seriously noticed and had taken her aside to ask about it. He answer then had been worry over her upcoming acceptance to the overseas school but for her to be worrying about it now, and after Daisuke had informed her that a new branch would be opening up, that was starting to, to use a word that she had used too often, worry her. She looked around her for anyone who could help her express the maelstrom she was feeling inside her but they were all too engrossed in watching the battles around them.

Eiji looked at Kotori and smiled wistfully. He recalled when he had thought he had nothing special to his name and had just eked out an existence. It had been after that civil war he had been involved in had ended and everything had just settled down into one grey, featureless blob of existence. Wandering around from place to place with no desires had been fun for a while but it had started to get to the point where he had seriously considered throwing himself off a bridge after his latest job. Thanks to a mysterious coin, a freakishly strong girl and a talking arm, he had gotten away from that depression but he knew all the signs. Unfortunately, he didn't have the time to do all of that but he could do what he had always done – talk. Walking to Kotori's other side, he placed a hand on her shoulder and spoke in a soft tone.

"You're selling yourself too short, Kotori. Kotaro called all of us because he wants to protect his family but everyone here is fighting for something they love and want to protect."

Eiji pointed to Kotaro, Hongo and Ichimonji as they fought against Grand Bloody. Kotori could see that her cousin had changed his armour to a red, blue and silver form and was taking swipes at the mutation with a blade that seemed to shimmer in the spotlights. As she watched, he seemed to turn into a liquid form to launch projectile attacks at the monstrous creature before reforming back on the other side to repeat the process again. On the other hand, the original two Riders were duking it out with their hands and feet against whatever weapons Grand Bloody was able to literally pull out of is body. Eiji opened his mouth to speak the next work but was momentarily distracted by the slight falter he could see in the steps of the monster. Something that wasn't any injury dealt by the Riders was affecting him and, from the slowly growing horror in his body language, he knew it.

"Life."

Turning away from the slightly disturbing scene, OOO pointed at Blade, Drake and Agito as they fought hard against the remaining Chaps so that Zangetsu could strike at the Spider Mutants. Eiji was supposed to be helping him but the stoic businessman had all but ordered him to check on the girls and defend them if possible. With all the no-nonsense moves he could see from the white Rider, it seemed as though his option had been the better one as all four Mutants swarmed around the Armoured Rider within seconds. Pulling out the Medajalibur, he slipped two Cell Medals into the slot before running the OOO Scanner down the window to unleash an energy burst from the tip of the blade. One blossom of flame and smoke later and there were only three Mutants swarming around him. Only a quick nod of thanks was all the Armoured Rider could throw his way before he was swarmed again. The others had noticed his action and were pulling their eyes away from the fighting, slowly congregating around the lost girl as if by magic.

"Passion."

Finally, he pointed at the extra-dimensional Rider in his fight with the Wraith. He seemed to be fighting the hardest out of all of them but, due to the dangerous aura coming off the monster, he knew he was matching the intensity being directed at him. They watched as he yelled something to the sky and changed into another suit within an eye blink. This suit looked more cloth-like than anything else and seemed to have golden stitching on the wrists and ankles. The Raptor Rider launched a grappling hook at the monster, reeling it in to slash with a staff that looked almost like it was made of two separate weapons joined end-to-end. Leaping back, he launched a white-hot ball of fire from his palms at the creature to send it crashing hard against a nearby wall. Though the wall would never be able to sustain weight, the Wraith seemed to be more damaged. Strands of thick webbing flew towards the Rider but were burnt away in seconds thanks to the fire dancing from his palms.

"Innocence."

Kotori looked at the Riders with new eyes; amazed she didn't see it first. All of them were fighting to protect her and her friends, not because of the bonds they shared but of the innocence they represented. Of course for people who had practically been fighting all their lives, they would want to protect the light of the future generations. For a brief moment, she wondered exactly what sort of trauma Weihan had been through in his life to want to protect it but pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind. Whatever he had been through, it was giving him a great amount of strength and courage where lesser men would have crumbled. And then there was the fact that he had admitted to being from another dimension – something she could scarcely wrap her mind around. He had to be fighting to find a way home, back to the people who cared about him and loved him. For him to have come to their world and to fight a creature he thought he had destroyed…she didn't know what he was thinking. He had that strange device though and he had checked it thoroughly for damages so it seemed as though it was important. Yes, she had to keep her mind on what was truly important in this situation: her friends and her future. Seeing the change in her eyes, Eiji smiled under his helmet.

"I've just met all of you and I can see no greater bond between you and your friends. Bonds like that are great power and strength. That is the one thing that makes you and your friends more special than almost anyone here."

Kotori nodded once as Umi looked at him with gratefulness in her eyes. The others placed their hands on her shoulders and upper back as a sign of support as OOO stepped away. Kotori finally understood why her cousin had fought so hard to keep her away from the fight but she was starting to realise she was braver than she thought she was. There was much more inside her than her past designs and creations and, with the help of Daisuke's school, she would show the world everything. A slight blush crept up her cheeks as she scrubbed out a half-formed thought and she prayed no one, especially Eli and Nozomi, had noticed. However, whether they would have said anything was forever lost in the winds of possibility as a shout of pure horror and fear ripped through the air. As the Riders around them reacted with shouts of denial, nine pairs of eyes scanned the battlefield to alight on the grisly scene of chaos in front of them.

Grand Bloody was dying.

It wasn't a clean death either as his body was still moving as he dissolved from the inside out. Unbeknownst to him, the Spider Wraith had injected small slivers of its blood into the ragged stump of his arm and, in turn, those slivers had begun breaking it down into a slurry. Throwing the disturbingly limp form of the Raptor Rider to one side, the arachnid monster shrieked in delight as it plunged its fangs into the back of the dying monster to suck up the liquefied innards. The eight Riders regrouped around the girls as they attempted to shield their eyes any further…but it was too late. Eli and Nozomi held on to a crying Hanayo and Nico, while Honoka looked sick to her stomach. Rin had ducked behind one of the columns that was still intact and was busy throwing up with Maki standing by with a damp cloth – looking like she was on the verge of reconnecting with her dinner once more. Umi blocked Kotori's ears as she struggled with the death rattle of the expiring creature: something that would haunt her for the rest of her life.

The Riders looked on at the grim scene with revulsion and a faint tinge of pity for Grand Bloody, especially Kotaro and Hongo. While they had wanted him to meet his end at the conclusion of the fight, this was almost too much. They had envisaged him going out in a blaze of glory in a triple Rider Kick that would finally set his soul to rest. The Spider Mutants were also clearly shocked and even disgusted with this turn of events and began charging at the monster that was their comrade…but were destroyed within moments thanks to a few well-timed slashes. Finally, with a sound akin to trying to drink from an empty can, the Wraith had finished drinking the slurry and allowed the earthly remains of Grand Bloody to drop to the ground where they broke into a billion motes of dust. Kenzaki could swear he saw a small wisp of light drift towards a nearby mirror but dismissed it as a trick of the light. Summoning his Rouse Absorber to his hand, he prepared himself for anything – even a dangerous change to his rarely used Joker form.

The Wraith began to laugh darkly as black glass erupted from its already-armoured body; covering any openings in thick armour. The two barbed blades that had been quickly discarded within the first few blows traded with the Rider flew into its hands and shimmered slightly as they transformed into upwardly curving scimitars, dripping with acidic venom. Four more arms burst from its back as its shoulders and chest broadened to compensate the added internal structure and weight. With six arms and two legs, it now looked like a humanoid spider and the arachnophobics within the group of Riders and girls shivered in fear. However, the monster did not look their way – choosing to aim its dead gaze at the figure struggling to raise itself off the ground. Nozomi's heart leapt to her throat and she attempted to run towards the monster but Eli and Honoka wisely held her back.

 _"Finally! After all this time, Rider, here is where you finally meet your end."_

The newly Awakened Spider Wraith flexed its new arms and glanced back at the group of cowering humans. They would die next but only after he had taken his pleasure out of slowly and meticulously destroying the pitiful wreck in front of it. It would leave the thrice-hated Rider at the brink of death and force him to watch as it sucked the life, power and innocence out of the girls…especially that purple haired bitch that had stopped him from tasting blood. With his added armour protection that had come from the fool in the coat, it was nigh invincible and the strongest creature around. Lifting its blades above the head of the Rider, it prepared to finally rid itself of a hated thorn.

 _"Now…die."_

TBC…

Next Time:

 _"It can't end like this…not here."_

"What the hell…what's that light?"

 _You are at fifty percent. You know what this means._

"No…he can't be dead!"


	8. Supernova

Chapter Eight: Supernova

 _"It can't end like this…not here."_

Weihan struggled to make his muscles move as the Awakened Spider Wraith came closer to where he lay. Although he had steadily gained the upper hand in the battle by switching to his Ninjetti Mode, it seemed as though he had been fooled by a smarter Wraith once again. Much like the Colossus Wraith had done, the Spider Wraith had been pulling its punches and making itself seem slightly slower than it really was. It had waited for the perfect opportunity to strike; however, for once, he hadn't been the target. That didn't mean he hadn't been caught extremely off guard by a sudden and brutal attack that had left him gasping for air as the Power desperately tried to piece his ribs back together. He could do nothing but watch in abject horror as the Spider Wraith began draining the life fluids out of Grand Bloody and, finally, complete the Awakening process. It was truly one of the most sickening transformations he had ever seen, easily beating out Slashing Vengeance's bloody mutation. Pushing more and more power to his broken body, he flexed his fingers as his HUB flashed a damage report.

 _"How weak you are, human."_ The Wraith growled as it stepped closer to him. _"Only now, in the end, do you see how useless this struggle against my kind truly is."_

Biting back a curse, the Rider weakly rose to his knees. Ignoring the blossom of pain in his chest, he drew a shaky bead at the Wraith and fired the Rider Shoot into its chest. Sparks flew as the energised rounds bounced off the thickened plates and he shook his head in a vehement refusal to give up. Pushing off the ground, the Rider summoned the Rider Blade once more and began slashing and swiping at the Spider Wraith; very aware that the arachnid monster was doing nothing to defend itself. A blur of movement was all the warning he had before the barbed blades pierced his shoulders, the paralysis inducing venom numbing his nerves almost as fast as his Powers could nullify the damage. As it was, he needed to put almost all of his concentration and focus into moving and attacking – giving his movements an almost robotic quality. In any other setting, this would be amusing but it was literally a matter of life or death…and he had no intention of dying a second time. Pushing power into the Rider Blade, he stabbed it upwards into the thorax of the Spider Wraith and smiled wickedly as he felt it splinter the protective armour.

" _I told you before, as long as I have breath in my body I will never quit!_ " he roared.

The Spider Wraith had no answer to that and didn't seem to even be affected by the attack. A wave of dread washed over his body as he looked down to the impact site. He didn't want it to be true…but the mighty Rider Blade, which he had personally strengthened, had shattered against the enhanced material. Shaking his head in disbelief, he shakily lifted up the handle and blinked in absolute shock at the twisted shards of metal that protruded from the emblem. Moments later, he felt a sense of weightlessness as the Awakened Wraith flung him through the air to crash against the same wall it had been flung into earlier. His hand spasmed with pain as the paralysis venom finally overcame the Power nullifying it, sending his wrecked weapon clattering to the ground. For one terrifying moment, he was helpless as the Spider Wraith stalked towards him once more.

Through fluttering eyelids, he could see Kotaro and Hongo leaping up to strike at the monster – only to have their energised attacks bounce off its mirrored armour. He knew this was going to happen; Kamen Riders or not, their strikes just didn't have the power needed to pierce Wraith armour – something that probably went triple with the Awakened Wraith. He pushed through another pulse of energy from his Ultra Crystal through his body, feeling the shift as the numbness slowly faded from his extremities. The good news was that he estimated around five minutes before he was fully healed and ready to fight again. The not so good news was that he couldn't guarantee a clean victory against the Awakened Wraith. It almost made him wonder if the Colossus Wraith had been fully powered up as it had been rather easy to defeat. On the other hand, there had been help from that trans-dimensional energy blast from the Ultimax that had done the majority of damage. It had also opened up the rip in dimensions but he had mostly forgiven his duplicate for that. He rolled over to hear the Spider Wraith speak to the group of Riders.

" _Foolish creatures. What can you possibly do against me now? Just wait your turn like good sheep_."

Not wanting to risk any more time spent doing nothing, the Rider rose up on one knee before launching into the air to deliver a powerful kick to the Wraith. The monster spun around with all six arms swinging and he ducked to avoid being stabbed by the paralysis or poison blades. Images of the horror the Spider Wraith had unleashed on its first outing flashed through his mind; specifically the two innocent tourists it had brutally killed. He hadn't been innocent either, recalling the way he had accidentally burnt three dying men to a crisp but his actions had saved the world from an even worse fate. He was not going to stand by and let it do what it wanted to this world – even though it had protectors of its own. The horrors of the Wraiths would not be sullying this dimension as long as he was around. Wondering when he had begun to take on the full responsibility to destroy all of the Wraiths, he readied the Rider Shoot and pointed it at the monster. For its part, the grotesque creature just laughed.

 _There is a bigger problem here. You are nearing the fifty percent merge mark. The battle in the Ultimax accelerated it and, after this, there will be no going back._

Well, shit. That wasn't good news at all. He could see the gauge slowly creeping up to the magic 50 but knew it had been accelerating in the Ultimax. Even though he had been using the Ultra Grid of his doppelganger, he had been focusing that almighty power through his Ultra Crystal. He had known the risks from the outset but had chosen to form the Ultimax because it was the only way Slashing Nak could be destroyed. He also supposed the Rider System powered Ultimax Rider Kick finisher hadn't done wonders for the merging time but it was all in the past, no matter how recent it was. Sending another pulse of Ultra Energy through his body, he was momentarily taken aback at how much stronger it seemed. Since using the Rider System, it had always felt diluted and watered down except in a few rare cases – like healing Queen Starburst or unlocking the Ninjetti Mode. Leaping back to avoid a spurt of acidic venom, he shook his head and exhaled sharply. Running a hand over his Turbine to see if there were any hidden buttons he hadn't discovered, he furrowed his brow slightly as he felt a barely-there seam running across the face of the device. He hadn't seen it when he upgraded the System which meant it was something that had just occurred; more than likely a crack created by the Wraith or the energy shield.

" _How much longer are we talking about, Shining Light?_ " he groused. " _I'm kinda getting my ass handed to me here._ "

Whatever Shining Light would have said was lost as the Wraith, apparently bored with his distancing move, rushed him with all six arms slashing. Unlike before, he couldn't defend himself from the constant barrage of blows and was slammed to the ground repeatedly. A lightning fast crack on his visor was all the warning he had before the armoured glass shattered under the force of the attacks. Closing his eyes shut to protect them; he felt the shards dig into his face and wondered why the crumbly glass wasn't used instead. A moment later and they opened on instinct as his head impacted on the concrete harder than before, acidic drops of venom burning his eyebrows away in moments before attempting to do the same with his eyelids. He wanted to scream in pain or horror; he wasn't sure which and was having very nasty flashbacks to the futile fight against Psychogre and the bloody way that fight had ended. The only thing he could count as being some blessing was the fact that he could still feel his toes – even though they felt as though he had rubbed them on a belt sander and dunked them in lemon juice.

He finally let out a yell of agony as his arms were wrenched up over his head and pulled hard in a sick parody of stretching. He could swear he heard the bones in his arms creak as he swung through the air to impact, once more, on the concrete ground. He didn't know if it was the pain talking but he was feeling very much as though he was being massaged. Drunkenly shaking his head and testing his arms to see if they were still attached, he tumbled across the ground as the Spider Wraith kicked him in his chest. His vision was blurring and he knew he was only a few hits away from being knocked out of the fight permanently…but he knew there was nothing that could stop the Wraith's attacks. From their vantage point, the girls looked at the broken and struggling Rider as they eyed the Spider Mutants which had been hanging back as the two titans fought. Kotori's hands shot to her mouth as she picked out the grievous amount of damage the Interdimensional Rider had been subjected to and the yell he had produced earlier still rang around in her mind.

"Get up…please," Nozomi clasped her hands in front of her chest, praying to whoever could hear and tears running down her face. "Please let him get up. He can't be dead…no, please…"

The Spider Wraith stalked forward, enjoying the fear and terror the human in front of him was producing. The Mutants around him would make for good compatriots for a while but he would send this world to its knees on his own. Such was the way of the Wraith. Chuckling insanely, it summoned up a ball of energy to aim in at the Rider. Even in near-defeat, it couldn't take any chances.

" _Finally. There is no one left to oppose me. When you wake up, it will all be too late for anything to be done_."

"What the hell…" Kotaro was at a loss for words as he saw the ball of energy build up. "What's that light? Kenzaki, what's it doing?"

The Navy Joker shook his head and hoped the Rider could manage a last-minute second wind. If not, he would be risking the safety of everyone on the planet as he would need to change to his Joker form to defeat the Wraith. Weihan bit hard on the inside of his mouth to keep from blacking out as his vision skewed yet again. Jerking his head to one side, he narrowly missed the ball of energy that would have incinerated his head...but he couldn't keep up this feeble struggle for long. He had never felt so much pain in his life – not even when Psychogre had jammed the metal spike into his chest or even in the recent battle against Slashing Vengeance. Hell, the final battle with Xonix was a cakewalk compared to this and the Ultra Crystals had shattered in that fight! Even the pulses of power from his Ultra Crystal, strong as they were, didn't seem to be doing much to heal him. If he had to hazard a guess to what they were doing to him, he would have guessed that they were strengthening his body for something…though he would presumably need to be healed for the strengthening to actually work properly. Wheezing again as the Awakened Wraith stomped on his back; he struggled to keep his mind on the present moment, unaware that the injuries to his legs had completely healed.

" _No…it can't end like this_." Weihan fought hard to stay conscious. " _Not when there's more I can do._ "

Back with the group, they stood in silence as they slowly watched their only hope break under the relentless attacks of the mirrored beast. Even Eiji, who had undergone the trauma of transforming into a Greed, had never seen such wanton displays of cruelty and the taunting that was almost too much to bear. He still had the Super Core Medals from the future but he didn't know if their power would be enough to defeat the monster. Looking at the other Riders, he knew they were all thinking the same thing: even though they didn't like it, they would have to wait to see the outcome. Swearing under his breath, he looked to the group of girls that had been caught up in this madness and his heart went out to them – especially the purple-haired girl. Although Nozomi had finally confessed to Eli, it didn't seem as though they would have a lot of time together before the end came. He would fight to the end to protect them from the creatures though and the other Riders would do the same.

 _You are at fifty percent merging. You know what to do._

Weihan nodded, even though his body felt as though it had been put through a rock crusher. Unsteadily rising to his feet, he felt another pulse of energy wash over his body and finally begin to heal his many injuries. He could see visible shock on the unmoving features of the Spider Wraith and could also see the first stirrings of hope and excitement blossom on the faces of the girls. Dropping his left hand to the side of the Turbine, he felt for the Activation button and allowed a smile to form over his face as he realised he would finally learn what it was used for. Steadily exhaling, he closed his eyes and felt his mind connect with the energies of the world and the Multiverse of Kamen Riders. Energy bombarded his cells as images of various places, people and potential Riders flashed up in his mind's eye.

He saw a lone figure in a blue and black robotic suit cutting down swarms of alien creatures with an energy blade as giant robots fought in the background. With a start, he recognised them as Advanced Heavy Mekas from Konu, though their designs looked a little different than the brochures he had flipped through. Changing scenes, he could see a group of four young girls running toward a tower of some kind; Rider Belts displayed prominently. From the looks of things though, they didn't know the significance of the belts around their waists. Faces, helmets and powers cycled through freakishly fast before he finally saw an image of…himself. Wherever he was, he was fighting against another Rider clad in black, red and silver armour while a Wraith crept up behind him. Where Serena was, he couldn't see but he had a strange feeling she was close by. The Black Rider pulled out a wickedly serrated blade and swung it high into the air, preparing to cleave his future self in half. The scene ended with a bright flash of light and, when it faded from his vision, he was back in his body and knew what to do. Inhaling deeply, he prepared to shout out his unlocked Power.

 _ **"ULTRA MODE!"**_

Power flooded his body as he pressed the Activation Button, sending a pillar of fire blasting up to the sky. The barely-visible seam running the length of his Turbine cracked open in a similar fashion to the original Power Morphers and pulsed with fiery energy. His undersuit sparkled as it transformed into a crystalline material that allowed greater flexibility than it looked and his armoured vest vanished in a flash of fire. A dimensional rip opened up above him but he wasn't sucked into it; rather it released his Assault Armour but the belt-mounted launchers and energy blade gauntlets were missing. Merging with his undersuit, he felt something sprout out of the back plate and hoped he hadn't suddenly grown a tail as that would be more than he could bear at the moment. On the other hand, he could see the changes that were happening on his suit thanks to the HUD cameras.

 _Can you feel it? This is Power that will not be accessed again; a true once-in-a-lifetime event._

Metallic claws sprouted from the fingertips of his gloves and the teeth that ringed his visor grew longer and jagged. It was a look that made him seem more of a monster than the Wraith; a look that was compounded by the pseudo-bloody smears around the 'mouth' of the visor. Quickly checking the attachment on his back, Weihan's jaw dropped open as he saw a wickedly cool tail-like assembly that held his Raptor Sabre, along with a new weapon that seemed to be made from a repaired Rider Blade and his Crocodile Sai. Mentally dubbing it the Rider Sword, he allowed himself a brief moment of wondering if that was the new default form for his Blade or if it was always supposed to have been used. Spreading his legs to redistribute the additional weight on his back, he chuckled darkly as he realised that, for all intents and purposes, he looked like a humanoid dinosaur. He could hear the other Riders and girls reacting in shock and amazement at his transformation and readied himself for battle.

It was time to end this.

TBC…


	9. That is Our Miracle

Chapter Nine: That Is Our Miracle

"What…the Power…"

Hongo stared in shock at the change that had come over the young man. In all of his years fighting the evils of Shocker and seeing the world around him change, he had never seen anything like this. Weihan had literally gone from being down and almost out to powering up immensely within the blink of an eye and changing into a suit of armour that defied all expectation. Whatever it was, it was doing a very good job at intimidating the Spider Mutants and completely blindsiding the Wraith. Personally, he thought the face on the torso was a bit cheesy and not becoming of a true Rider but he had seen much worse on a few other Riders. As the Orange Rider settled into a saurian stance, he wondered when the attack would come…and if the tail-like assembly on the back required that much counterbalancing.

Closing his eyes, Weihan readied his mind and body for the attack. The combined powers of his Ultra Crystal and Rider System were flooding his body with the same level of power he had felt when he activated the Battlizer. He felt _connected_ with the Grid around him and could see every single life around him blaze with a brilliant light. There was also something in Kenzaki, a small dot of power that seemed to pulse with an organic nature. He had no idea what that could be or if it was just a figment of his power rush imagination but, for once at least, he didn't care. Whatever it was; it wasn't for him to worry about right now – he had a Wraith to destroy and a whole world of people waiting for him to make it back to them safe.

Taking into account how easily he had destroyed Xonix, he felt extremely confident that he could put the Awakened Wraith down for good. On the other hand, it didn't mean he couldn't put on a show for the girls. Snapping his eyes open, he launched himself at the monster with a punch that bordered on supersonic – shattering the thick armour on its chest like it had shattered the Rider Blade moments earlier. The Wraith flew back as its mind, evolved and awakened as it was, tried to think up of a way it could salvage the situation. Watching the monster fly for a few more moments, he turned back to the group of Riders and motioned with his head to the Spider Mutants before taking off after the flying spider.

Kotaro was the first to act, pulling out the Revolcane once again and leaping into the air to deliver a powerful slash across the back of the nearest monster. Snapped from their nervous stupor, the Mutants charged the eight Riders – but they were ready for them. Following up the slash with an overhead cut that severed one of the arms of the mutant, Kotaro rolled to the side and changed into his stronger Robo Rider form. Spinning the Vortech Shooter in one hand, he tapped into the reserve of solar energy as Takatora and Daisuke stepped up. The white-clad Rider took off his Sengoku Driver and pulled out a device that almost looked like a small juicer of some kind; placing it on his belt and pulling out a lighter coloured version of his Lock Seed with a translucent blue casing.

"Melon Energy"

Connecting it to the Drive Bay, Takatora slid the lever to the left and initiated the transformation into Melon Energy Arms. Unlike the more fruit-based colouring of his regular Arms, the Melon Energy Arms looked more like the inside of a musk melon, with an orange 'sash' covering his right upper arm and shoulder. The Melon Defender shield vanished from his HUD menu, though he knew that he could call upon it if he needed the extra protection, replaced by the Sonic Arrow. Not wanting to waste any time, he took off the opened Lock Seed and, excusing the awful pun, locked it into place on the Sonic Arrow. Neon green energy began to coalesce on the tip of the weapon as he pulled the arrow back. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Drake activate his Clock Up ability, vanishing in a blur of motion. Slowing down his breathing, he released the energy arrow and sent it flying through the air at the same time as Kotaro and Daisuke initiated their finishers. The Spider Mutant exploded in a light green ball of fire as the other two mutants scattered; though other Riders were slowly zeroing in on their prey.

Eiji wordlessly transformed into his Super TaToBa combo and executed a blitzkrieg slashing attack on the Spider Mutant in front of him, managing to cut through its leathery armour and draw the strangest looking, and smelling, blood he had ever seen. He could see Kenzaki next to him using the powers of the Mach Jaguar Rouse Card to execute a similar looking attack with his King Rouser, the Rider also transformed into his strongest form – King Form. Both Spider Mutants collapsed to the ground as the RAPTOR Rider finally reached the Wraith, batting it towards the group. Privately, Eiji wondered why he was taking the time to do that as he should just destroy it but he dismissed the thought. After all, it was natural to want to seek some form of revenge or humiliation on the thing that had hurt you, right? Activating his Scanning Charge kick as Blade readied the Royal Straight Flush, the two Riders sent their finishing attacks towards the mutants; destroying both of them on impact.

Honoka smiled at the explosions signifying the defeat of the Mutants before blinking in surprise as the Spider Wraith flew past the group, followed by the Interdimensional Rider. Interestingly, he hadn't yet pulled any of the blades from the tail assembly, preferring to strike at the monster bare-handed. A stream of reflective liquid poured out of the gaping wound on its chest and she could see it trying to shape more weapons from it. The air around his hands seemed to ignite as he slammed his fists into the Wraith countless times in a row; shattering more of the protective armour it had gained upon its full awakening. In fact, it seemed that all of the advantages it had gained were negated by the sheer speed, power and ferocity the Ultra Mode had unlocked. Her friends, already cheering the destruction of the Mutants, turned to the ongoing battle and began cheering the Orange Rider on. Although she wasn't so sure he knew what they were saying, they would make up the language barrier with spirit.

"Go Weihan! Get it good!" Kotori cheered, forgetting that she should use English.

Hearing the cheers of support, Weihan turned around and gave a small wave before ploughing his right foot into the monster. The Wraith was now a bloody mess and a far cry from the confident creature that had promised his destruction. It rolled on the ground as it tried to fashion more of the barbed swords from the blood that poured from its wounds. Unfortunately, he wasn't going to allow the Wraith to gain a second wind and summoned a white-hot fireball into his left palm. As the monster reared back in surprise, he flung the incendiary ball into its chest – cauterising the wound and stopping the flow of blood. Slightly wincing at the unearthly howl of pain from the monster, he took out the Dimension Opener from its subspace pocket and pressed the recall button. Now he was on a time limit but was rather confident he would be able to destroy the creature without having to ask his double to do it for him. After all, he was in a new one-time-only mode that had unlocked a new world of power.

"Wait, what did he just do? What was that?" Nozomi asked the others but they responded with gestures of confusion. She had a strange feeling she wouldn't like the answer one bit.

Placing the Dimensional Opener back in its subspace pocket, he withdrew the Raptor Sabre from the tail array and twirled it in his left hand. He knew the others would be wondering what he had done but the time for explanations would come later. A small part of him wondered if he should have pressed the recall button after the battle had been won, even though it would mean forty five minutes of sitting around doing nothing after the group dispersed. On the other hand, he could think of a much better activity to do with some of the girls but shook his head to keep his mind in the present moment. The Spider Wraith had stopped howling in pain and was looking at him through hatred filled eyes. Resting the blade on his left shoulder, he smirked under his helmet.

"I'm on a time limit now." He shook his head slowly. "I won't allow you to infect a world as bright and beautiful as this."

The Spider Wraith scoffed through the pain and shook its head vehemently. The world around them wasn't filled with light or laughter, it was a dying world filled with the seeds of evil. Riders would come and go throughout the years but everything would end in a fireball catastrophe that would begin with the destruction of the moon. It had seen this future coming to pass as it had sucked up the juices of Grand Bloody. It wouldn't happen tomorrow or even in the next few years but this world would fall and become the domain of monsters so grim, they would defy all expectation. New heroes would rise up but they would eventually die when the glass tower fell. It was all so poetic and it wished it could bathe its fangs with the blood of these new 'heroes' but, sadly, it looked as though it wasn't to be. Still, it could demoralise the Rider a small amount.

"Foolish Rider, look around you! This world is filled with nothing but death and despair, just like your home!" It chuckled darkly, knowing its next words would break his spirit. "Evil will continue to live on in this world, even after you leave. You're nothing but a small stopgap against a tsunami."

He didn't doubt that for a second. The split-second image of the quartet of girls that had flashed up in his mind's eye was clearly from some undetermined point in the future of this world but he knew in his gut that they would be able to rise up to face whatever evils assailed them. The only thing he needed to worry about was the here and now and the destruction of the Wraith in front of him. If that didn't happen, the world where the girls existed and fought would never come to pass. Alternatively, it would come to pass but with massive differences. Gathering his thoughts, he reflected on the dimension he had just come from and the differences present from his own home. There were no Wraiths and Xonix was alive and well, though he had been struck with one of his frequent 'power comas'. There were new Rangers popping up everywhere with slightly weaker Powers than the Rider System but who could wield them effectively. A worrying factor was that Grash'Nak, the Guardian of Hellfire, was seemingly breaking free of his prison but, as much as he hated it, that was a problem for his double.

"You're wrong about that but I don't have time or patience to teach you." He stated, pushing fire to his Sabre.

Narrowing his eyes behind his visor, he rocketed towards the Wraith with his blade drawn back. Reaching the appropriate distance, he plunged his left foot into the ground and used the momentum to deliver another crushing slash to the left shoulder of the creature, neatly severing two of its new limbs and cauterising the wounds. The Wraith howled in pain as it tumbled on the ground, wondering when the advantage it held over the Rider had vanished. It didn't make any sense as it had feasted on the blood of the being that had seen its emergence and absorbed all of the added powers it contained. For a few moments, it was the strongest Wraith to ever walk on any dimension but the Rider had powered up as well. For a brief moment, it had thought it had been merely a cosmetic change and the protection of the face-themed armour would not stand up to his abilities. It had been proven wrong very quickly and it was only now realizing that it had acted a bit too hastily regarding the draining of Grand Bloody.

This new Rider acted impulsively and moved too fast for any of his eight eyes to pick up on. Darting in and out, it felt a brief flash of pain as the remaining limbs that had sprouted from its back were cleanly cut away. A sense of dread and loss washed over it for a brief moment as it knew it wasn't long for the world. Summoning up its remaining rage and hatred, it reasoned that it would fight to the bitter end and sow the seeds of discord into the hearts of the defenders. Rising to its full height as it attempted to control the surging energies in its body, it was distracted by two voices from behind it.

"Rider Kick!"

"Rider Punch!"

The attacks hit it head on as it was turning to assess the threats. Four eyes went dark immediately, the energised punch destroying them in an instant. It felt a warm trickle of liquid flow down its face but soon realised nothing could be created from vitreous fluids. Swinging one of the barbed blades through the air, it cackled in delight as it scraped against the chest of one of the Riders – throwing him back as sparks flew from the gash. If the Rider it had fought before wouldn't die, it could at least send the ones opposing him into a flurry of despair before sucking out their essences. The innocents in the groups would be next to fall and his revenge would almost be complete.

"You foolish creatures," The Wraith snarled. "You have no idea of the powers I possess!"

Weihan shook his head slowly, resting the red-hot Raptor Sabre on his shoulder. The heat wouldn't eat through the magically enhanced armour or leave any kind of burn mark. He contemplated using the finisher he had used to destroy the Pup Wraith on the powered-up spider beast but he seriously doubted it would stay in one place for him to build up the momentum. Plus, he didn't want to be revisiting his lunch so soon. Although it wasn't the time for it, he snorted as he saw Hongo and Ichimonji attempt to battle the Wraith. They had guts for sure but they wouldn't be getting anywhere without his help. He knew what the Raptor Sabre was capable of and it was a familiar weapon to use but, in order to learn and grow, he needed to use the other weapon in the array – the Rider Sword.

"I don't think they care," Weihan replied, drawing the Rider Sword from the array. "As a matter of fact, neither do I."

Grasping the handle, he leapt towards the Wraith with both blades swinging. He drew on his past experiences battling with two blades to effortlessly disarm the monster and destroy the barbed blades with a blast of fire. A nick behind the knee with the Rider Sword managed to slow the creature down for a fraction of a second; enough time for him to jam both blades into the twisted scar on its chest and pour fire into the Wraith. At the back of his mind, he could feel and hear his Main Three Power Animals snarling and roaring as their bloodlust was satisfied for a brief moment. And, yet, he knew he had to wrap this up quickly for reasons he couldn't readily explain. He still had around forty minutes to spare before the portal opened up and he doubted any form of post-battle debrief would take longer than five or six minutes but there was a nagging feeling in the back of his mind. Of course, he knew what it was and it was something he had been telling himself since he had thrown himself at the Wraith.

He didn't belong in this world. As powerful as he was, as much as he could decimate the monsters that threatened the populace…he was an outsider here. If he stayed, there was a good possibility that he could change the very nature of the Rider Grid in ways he couldn't even begin to imagine. He doubted the Power he had probably already exchanged would lead to humans developing forms of mental magic in the future but, the fact of the matter was, he didn't know what could happen. Looking up at the Wraith that was literally in his face and trying to bite through his visor again, he jerked back and blinked as he saw a targeting scope appear over the remaining four eyes. A mechanical whir filled his ears as a burst of light engulfed the Wraith, sending it tumbling again and scrabbling at its eyes. A gloved hand helped him up and he was amazed to see a black and gold Rider in front of him, though the armour melted away to reveal the form of RX. Hongo was next to him, looking somewhat ruefully at the frozen form of Ichimonji where he had fallen.

The three Riders shared a look and nodded in unison, sheathing any weapons that may have been held. A tri-toned burst of light pulsed from the Turbine and new information flowed into his mind as he accepted what needed to be done. Backing up from the blinded Wraith, the three Riders struck similar poses of power and ran at the creature. As they reached a certain, unsaid, point, they leapt into the air as Weihan touched the centre of the Morphing Gem. Reaching the apex of their ascent, they positioned themselves into their respective stances – Hongo with his right leg extended, Kotaro with his left and Weihan holding out both legs in a double-footed drop kick. Fiery energy blasted from both sides of the Turbine to link with the energy being generated by the belts of the other two Riders. In one powerful voice, they yelled out the attack name.

"TRIPLE RIDER KICK!"

The three blows struck the blind Wraith like a freight train, the heat from the expended energy instantly melding its feet to the concrete. It could hear the micro-explosions inside its body as the destructive energies ripped through nerves and organs it was only beginning to realise the uses for. Much to its dismay, there was an organ that could have been used to redirect the energy to a line-of-sight attack that could punch through twenty inches of solid titanium. Now that its eyes had been destroyed, its only purpose was to add more volatile energy to the fires within. Now, it could feel the crackling over its skin as its body hardened and began the transition to the sand that had created it. It tried to move its lips into a smile, though it only marginally succeeded.

"You may have won against me but I will promise you a lifetime of bloodshed and suffering." The frozen Wraith vowed through a cracking mouth. "The events of tonight will haunt you down the road."

In a burst of yellow, green and orange fire, the Awakened Wraith simultaneously exploded into nothingness and crumbled away into a mound of sand. Warily poking the sparking material with the edge of his boot, Weihan suppressed a relieved sigh and felt the adrenalin flood out of his body.

Finally, it was over.

TBC…

AN: Almost over. Just a few more chapters to go.


	10. We Are Brothers

Chapter Ten: We Are Brothers

 _"You're leaving so soon?"_

Weihan nodded as he looked at the distraught faces of Nozomi and Kotori. After confirming that the Wraith had been truly vanquished and wasn't going to rise up like the Contender, he had taken a few moments to truly understand the workings of his suit when he wasn't in a battle situation. As this was the only time he was ever going to transform into this mode, he thought it best to initiate a thorough body scan and take images from every possible angle. In the middle of this act, he finally figured out how the tail assembly worked when the blades were removed; functioning as an independently targeting laser blaster of sorts. The targeting scope he had seen earlier honed in on any weaknesses of the targeted creature and unleashed a devastatingly powerful blast. The only drawback he could see was the amount of power the bolt consumed. Unfortunately, all good things had to come to an end and with only fifteen minutes remaining on the countdown timer, he had to bite the bullet and say his farewells.

He had explained to them that the small device was his only way home and that he had pressed the recall button in the spur of the moment. Although he had left out the amount of time needed, he had told the group that the door to his destination would reopen in roughly thirteen minutes. His fellow Riders had taken the news well, though it would be expected that they would know of his need to return to his home dimension as they were connected through the Rider Grid. That didn't explain Shoichi, the Rider who had transformed into the golden armour of Agito, passing around his Morphing Gem like it was a toy. He shook his head as it was thrown at Kenzaki and sighed under his breath as he hoped nothing too bad would happen down the road. On the other side of the coin, the girls seemed to take his news the hardest. It was slightly understandable that they would be upset but, realistically, he had only been around them for the past hour and a half. Save for Nozomi and, maybe, Kotori, that wasn't enough time to form meaningful bonds with all of them.

" _That's the way it has to be_ ," he sighed, wondering why he was having trouble forming the words. " _Pressing the recall button like that was a spur of the moment thing but something I would have to do sooner or later. And it's for the best that I leave before the power I have brings down another evil force onto the world_."

Kotori nodded slowly as her mind processed all the information. Technically, she knew it was the right thing to do. She was just in the beginnings of a schoolgirl crush and it was best to remove the source of her attraction before it became too messy. A small part of the back of her mind wanted it to become messy but she didn't quite think her mother would approve. She had her whole life in front of her and, if she was truly honest with herself, she didn't think she had time for extra-curricular activities at this point. Suddenly, a thought came to her and she rushed back to her bag; searching through the cards and passes until she found what she was looking for. Pulling out a small USB drive with the logo of the band engraved in to it, she pressed it into Weihan's hand with a shaky smile.

" _Just some music for you to listen to when you get home_." She said with a shaky voice. " _So you don't forget about us. And there's a chat room address with the password if you want to keep in touch_."

" _I don't think I could forget about you girls if I tried_." He chuckled, pocketing the USB in a secure subspace pocket. " _Though I am in another dimension and it may take a while for me to join the chat. Eh, I'll make it work somehow, though I hope you haven't forgotten about me when I do._ "

As their sniffles turned to light chuckles, he looked up at the sky and stifled a frustrated sigh. He was all set and ready to leave and not prolong his departure but there was one small issue; his Morphing Gem was still being tossed around the gathered Riders and he kind of needed that to transform. After another few moments, he could see Shoichi giving the Gem anther quick upward flick before handing it back to him and speaking in a jovial tone. He hoped it was a jovial tone anyway.

"Here you go. All good now!"

Nodding his thanks to the Japanese man, he pocketed the Gem and turned back to the group. This was it; the moment he had been dreading but the moment that had to occur for him to continue on his journey home.

" _I doubt I'll be back here. This dimension is protected enough from the evils of the world without another overpowered Rider waltzing in on a whim_." He chuckled at that notion, absently wondering how long it would be before he did just that. " _Though if these yahoos don't protect you girls and keep you safe, I'll be doing just that_."

And, with that, he was assaulted from all sides by the nine of them; their bodies crushing together to form a strange wall of sorts. Swallowing hard over the chuckles he knew were coming from the watching Riders, he stayed as still as possible to avoid either outright groping or putting his fingers into tight spots. He was also glaringly aware that a couple of them weren't over eighteen, though their bodies said otherwise. Closing his eyes and chuckling at the mass of hands, arms, heads, hair and limbs around him, he focused his thoughts on the future of his fight with Bloodless Mary. Unless something drastic happened to tip the balance, he supposed they would be locked in combat for however long it took for her to run out of Wraiths. With Jabarkas on her side, though, things would become more or less what they had been under Xonix…without the need to break out any Zords; though the battle with the Colossus Wraith had come dangerously close. Yet, there was always something that kept nagging at the back of his mind, no matter how many times he seemed to dismiss the thought.

Bloodless Mary knew where her blood was stored.

The same blood which an ancient sorcerer had pulled from her body all those millennia ago to weaken her and seal her with magic nooses. If they came together, the world would quake as Mar'yinkas reclaimed the Phaedosian powers that had been stripped. However, until that happened, he would continue to fight and train Serena so that they could stand against the forces that threatened to annihilate Earth. There was also the minor matter of the White Ultra Crystal finally awakening from its dormant slumber and the permanent joining with AJ that needed to be done but that was something that could be banged out over a weekend. Opening his eyes, he looked at the problem at hand – namely the girls that were still around him.

" _Okay…a little help here, guys?_ " He gulped as the girls closed ranks once more, Nozomi even finding a way to latch onto his right side. " _Seriously needing assistance here…oh hell._ "

Weihan looked at their sad faces and chuckled under his breath. Although he thought that ninety minutes hadn't been long enough for him to form bonds with them, it clearly wasn't the case the other way around. Swallowing a small lump in his throat, he looked at their faces once more – blinking at a sudden flash from several camera phones. Obviously they wanted to take his picture but they could have possibly waited until he wasn't close to breaking down himself. Stumbling slightly as Rin latched on to his back, he looked down at Nozomi and spoke in a soft tone.

" _Do you feel all right now? No more hidden feelings and hurt? All of you are akin to a single light in this world, shielding the hearts and minds of the population._ " He paused slightly as Kotori snuggled up to his left side, translating for the others. " _All of you, you remind me of the bonds I had, have, with my friends. People I haven't gotten in full contact with for a long time._ "

Allowing himself to melt slightly into the warmth generated by the girls, he looked up at the sky again and closed his eyes.

" _Maybe I was supposed to be here all along. Reminding myself of the bonds shared and bonds that can be reforged again. Maybe…_ "

His eyes opened as Kotori's lips left his, followed by Nozomi. He clamped down tight on his brain to avoid any unneeded mental explosions and allowed himself to be swept away in the moment. He was aware of Eli looking at them but, interestingly enough, there were no daggers in her gaze; just a slight longing and a small twinge of jealousy. He couldn't blame her if she wanted her new lover's tongue to be dancing round the inside of her mouth but there wasn't much he could do about it. Finally breaking the kiss, they shared a sly look and, interestingly enough, he almost wished he had only chosen now to press the recall button. Swallowing hard yet again, and seemingly unable to meet Kotaro's amused half-glare, he stepped away from the group and tried to gain some semblance of dignity before his exit. He also had to ready himself for a time change, though he hoped his duplicate was still in the Ultra Cavern.

"Are we just going to farewell him without a song?" Honoka asked. "He's here and, unlike everyone else, he doesn't know what we'd sound like."

Her words surprised the others. Truthfully, a song of farewell had been so far from their minds that they couldn't even think of one that could convey all the emotions they were feeling.

"How are we going to pick one from everything we've done?" Umi countered. "And we don't have the luxury of time to pick a special one so it has to be…"

Her words trailed off as the background music that had been playing over the past battles changed once more; looping back to the beginning of the 'playlist'. The first notes of the song they had recently sung in the dome washed over them. Quickly taking their positions, they began to sing for the Interdimensional Rider; their words washing over the nine men with all the emotion that could be conveyed. Weihan watched them singing and dancing joyously and felt a warmth welling from within. In front of him was a representation of everything he was fighting to protect: smiling faces filled with innocence and hope for the future. He didn't have to look at his peers to know they were thinking the same thing. He had been holding back his abilities and powers as a Rider, afraid that someone would connect the dots between him and his Ranger career. He had been too much on the defensive, so much so that he hadn't even known about it Jabarkas had called him out. He closed his eyes and made a mental promise to himself that he would be a scared Rider no more and he would fight with all the ferocity and decisiveness that had characterised his time as a Ranger.

Near the end of the song, he felt the air pressure change as a swirling blue-green portal opened up behind him to reveal the interior of the Ultra Cavern. Stretching out his telepathy, he could feel his duplicate standing just out of sight with Bree and, interestingly enough, Liz. Quickly taking out his phone to snap a few shots of the girls singing and dancing, he raised his arm in farewell as the song ended. Taking a brief moment to nod at the remaining Riders, he slowly turned around to walk into the open portal. The closest Rider to the opening, Kotaro, blinked in surprise as a youthful version of Weihan's voice asked a question before the opening snapped shut. Nozomi looked to the area where he had just been before gathering her emotions together. There would be plenty of time for mourning his 'loss' later. Right now, they needed to pack up and leave.

As the seventeen figures began slowly picking up the strewn around bags that had been carelessly dropped earlier, they never noticed the two figures watching them from a nearby building. The taller of the two was dressed in a leather jacket over a dark shirt and blue jeans. A strange belt with a golden buckle adorned his waist and his face held a sense of dawning comprehension. The other figure was dressed in a long black coat over clothes that, interestingly enough, looked extremely similar to the clothing one of the girls below them wore. Two, almost comically large, rings adorned each hand and a strange palm-shaped device was on her waist. The man turned to the woman and smiled softly.

"Now I understand why you wanted to do this." He said

"Of course, Kotaro; so much so that I would risk Haruto's anger to do so." She replied with a casual wave of her hand.

The man shook his head and checked the time on his watch. Letting out a grunt of satisfaction, he turned towards the woman again and pointed behind him.

"Come on, Honoka. The longer we stay here, the longer we risk being caught."

Leading the way, the two Riders turned the corner to board a high-tech train that was stopped nearby. Kotaro Nogami grimaced lightly as he thought about the earful he would receive from Haruto Soma at leaving so suddenly with his successor to the Wizard Rider Rings. Even though Honoka Kosaka, somehow, had a suppressed Siren Phantom inside her, he wouldn't be too happy with their jaunt through time and space just to close a stable time loop. As the train began to travel through the Sands of Time, multiple branches jutted out to split into different variations of the timeline that could happen. Some of these were erased in an instant as the decision was reversed or taken back but there was one path that continued to lead towards a future that the two Riders would never see.

A time of Huntresses and Riders.

TBC…

AN: Only the epilogue to go. Yes, Huntresses and Riders is a sort of sequel to this with only one (or two) characters connecting the two events.


	11. We Are a Single Light

Epilogue: We Are a Single Light

Two weeks later…

"Come on, Kotori! You're going to be late!"

Yawning loudly, Kotori Minami rolled out of bed and unceremoniously fell onto the floor. Blinking the sleep out of her eyes, she reflected on the whirlwind of activity and changes that had happened in the past two weeks. The presence of the other Riders and Hongo had given a cover for why they were later than expected coming back from the event. The scrapes and bruises on Eiji and Takatora had been jokingly passed off as them missing one of the top steps and finding a faster route down. Daisuke had informed her mother of his decision and had, in a surprising turn of events, enrolled Honoka and Umi into the school as well. The Dragonfly themed Rider had assured her that they would fill some niche in the school, even though they weren't much for thinking creatively. Ironically, the site of the school was near the dome that was, for the time being, experiencing rather hasty construction work. This was to cover the holes and scars that were the result of the energetic battle that had taken place after the Love Live event. Worryingly, there had been people present in the nearby hotels that had snapped shots of the Kamen Riders in action but, interestingly, the space where they had huddled together had been replaced with a blank spot.

Thinking of the battle brought a wistful smile to her face as she pushed the covers off her body and began to get dressed. The Interdimensional portal had lit up the entire area and seemed to have pulsated with the last notes of the song. When it had snapped shut, they had all experienced a strange feeling of empowerment for a brief moment – almost as if the energy Weihan had left in their world had channelled to them directly. So far, the other Riders weren't reporting any unusual changes or power surges but it was still rather early. She also didn't really know what Nozomi was going to do with the few locks of hair she had clipped from the head of the unconscious Rider but she supposed it wasn't her place to speculate anything – unlike every single news report that had come out chronicling the appearance of a new Rider. Kotaro had shaken his head at the reports and had chuckled for a good five minutes at the further wild guesses that had popped up. As the unknown Rider hadn't been seen since the battle, everyone and their dog had labelled him a truly lone Rider.

"Kotori! Come on!" Kotaro called from outside.

Her cousin was also sticking around as, with the rather gruesome demise of Grand Bloody, the Crisis Empire was finally destroyed…until the next wannabe leader stepped up to the plate. He was thinking of opening up a branch of his helicopter tour/shuttle service in Tokyo but, unlike Daisuke, hadn't really thought of a suitable location yet. As a result, he was staying in their apartment until he could scrounge up enough identification so the banks would allow him access into his frozen accounts. He was also in charge of ensuring she wasn't late for her first full day of classes and had lectured her thoroughly about not getting too interested in the opposite sex; something her mother had been rather interested to hear about. Her cousin had then pulled no punches and had talked to her about the man she had met after the concert, omitting the details of his Rider System from the explanation. His rather melancholy ending of how he had vanished into the distance, never to be seen again, was a bit too melodramatic for her liking but it had won her mother over in dropping that line of questioning.

Pulling on her socks, she looked at the computer on her desk and the internet chat room page that was waiting behind the screen saver. She, as well as Nozomi and Eli, had been checking every day almost religiously to see if he had managed to find a way to join. She didn't know too much about Interdimensional travel but Hongo had stated that communication worked pretty much the same but needed an extremely strong connection. He was also sticking around as there had been rumours of a Shocker plot that involved the granddaughter of an old friend…or something. She didn't know and, unless it involved her or her friends, she didn't care. She just wanted…well, she knew what she wanted but that was impossible.

"I'm ready, I'm ready! I'll see you later!" she called as she raced past him.

Kotaro looked at the retreating form of his cousin and chuckled under his breath. If she thought she could shield her innermost desires from him, she was mistaken. He knew that in the short amount of time he had been with them, Kotori had fallen head-over-heels in love with the Interdimensional Rider – age gap be damned, apparently. She also wasn't the only one as Takatora, having employed both Eli and Nozomi in Yggdrasil, had griped about catching the two girls dreamily looking at their saved pictures of the Rider. Of course, that was only in the gaps when they weren't dragging each other into empty rooms to do rather indecent things. The Melon Rider had also put in a very good word with the Head of the vocal training school, the Oni Rider Hibiki, and Nico had found herself in an extremely exclusive class that specialised in training her voice as a weapon. He didn't think she would become an Oni but stranger things had happened. He sobered up as he also didn't think the peaceful times they seemed to be in would last.

On the other hand, that was the life of a Rider; to be drawn into short bursts of battle and then relax during the lulls. On the other side of the coin was the life of an Interdimensional Rider such as Tsukasa or even Weihan – to be constantly fighting and planning, even while on the lulls. Flexing his right hand, he looked to the dormant computer on his cousin's desk and to the heap of hastily-shed pyjamas strewn on the floor. Shaking his head, he began to turn to leave when the flickering of the screen caught his eye. Stepping closer, he waited for the image to stabilise before the chat room refreshed. He knew of the chat room and had joined but this was his first time looking at it from the viewpoint of his cousin. From the flowers slowly spinning around the border to the pastel pink lines, everything screamed out 'young woman', a stark contrast to the rather utilitarian black lines and font he used. Narrowing his eyes at the two new lines, he stifled a chuckle and shook his head in amusement.

[RaptorRider has logged in]

[RaptorRider]: I got it to work

As the flood of excited messages from the other girls came flooding into the chat box, Kotaro smiled.

The future of both worlds was in good hands.

The End.

AN: And that's it for Masked Family. Any loose plot points will be wrapped up in Huntresses and Riders, including what Nozomi planned to do with the locks of hair. The return of Rider/RAPTOR will be told in Kamen Rider Tyrant and the next chapter of Powers Unleashed will deal with the return of Rider to the world of the Ultra Rangers.


End file.
